AFTER BEING DRAGGED TO COURT FOR ALLEGED SEXUAL HARASSMENT: PRESIDENT OF CAMEROON HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, PROF JAMES MOUANGUE KOBILA, ALSO DRAGS THE LADY, TSEMO ESPERANCE, TO COURT, FOR ALLEGED DEFAMATION

After Being Dragged To Court For Alleged SEXUAL HARASSMENT:

President Of Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, Also Drags The Lady, Tsemo Espérance, To Same Court, For Alleged DEFAMATION

– What will likely happen is that the first judgement that will be delivered by the Yaounde court, will have an impact on the ruling on the second case

There has been an interesting development in the case of alleged sexual harassment now known as, ‘L’affaire James Mouangue Kobila’, pending in the Yaounde Magistrate Court (Court of First Instance) Administrative Centre.
It would be recalled that late last year, 31 year old Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo, who then was the Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission in Yaounde, dragged the President of the Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila (a former University don) to the Yaounde Magistrate Court – Administrative Centre, for alleged sexual harassment and others. The harassment allegedly occured during the period when Madam Tsemo Esperance was Chief of Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission.

Rapid Climb / Curiosities

It is also worth recalling that Madam Tsemo Esperance who was born in Yaounde on May 25, 1992, was recuited as a senior staff of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission on May 4, 2018. On November 27, 2020, Madam Tsemo Esperance was appointed Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, by the President of the Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila. Then on August 18, 2022, the then 30 year old Tsemo Esperance, was appointed Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, by the President of the Commission.
But curiously enough, Madam Tsemo Esperance was removed from that post on February 6, 2023. This meant that she was in that office for a little less than six months. There was no official explanation as to what happened, though some months later sourves at the Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission alleged that she committed ‘fautes lourdes’, that is, serious faults, but gave no details.
Another curiosity about the issue, was that when Madame Tsemo Esperance was removed from the post of Chief of Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, she was sent back to her former post of Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation. This raises questions as to how somebody who allegedly committed serious faults when she was Chief of Cabinet, could have again been given that high post in the Commission.

Court Case / Disciplinary Council

Meanwhile, it should be noted that when Madam Tsemo Esperance, was removed from the post of Chief of Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission in February 2023, she ‘quietly’ worked as Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation until towards the end of the year, before filling a law suit by ‘Citation Directe’, against her boss, for alleged sexual harassment. Why she took the decision at the time she did, to drag her boss to court for alleged sexual harassment, is not clear.
But as THE MENTOR reported earlier, after Madam Tsemo Esperance dragged her boss, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission to court to the Yaounde Magistrate Court – Administrative Centre for alleged sexual harassment, a complaint was addressed to the President of the Disciplinary Council of the Commission, by one of a close collaborator of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, working in the Cabinet of the President of the Commission.
A recommendation was made for the Disciplinary Council to summon Madam Tsemo Esperance, for her to face the DISCOM for ‘fautes lourdes’, that is, serious faults.

Unwise To Appear Infront Of Disciplinary Committee

When Madam Tsemo Esperance was summoned for the first time by the Disciplinary Council, she failed to show up. However her legal counsel had a few days before informed the Disciplinary Council, that she would not be able to show up due allegedly to health problems.
But from the look of things, the legal counsel of Madam Tsemo Esperance did not consider it wise for her to appear infront of the Disciplinary Council, to answer questions on a matter of alleged sexual harassment that was already in court. More so, she took the matter to court before the Disciplinary Council came into the picture, trying to take up the same matter.
Also, the side of Tsemo Esperance did not think that the Disciplinary Council of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, comprised of employees of the Commission, could play a fair role in handling such an issue of alleged sexual harassment, involving the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission.

Alleged Intention Of DISCOM

It should be noted that it was being floated at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, that Madam Tsemo Esperance was being summoned to face the Disciplinary Council for alleged gross indiscipline and all what not. But she and her lawyer allegedly gatherrd that the real reason for the summon was to squeeze her on the evidences she had in her possession, to substantiate her accusation of sexual harassment against the President of the Commission.
The Disciplinary Council was also allegedly out to pressure Madam Tsemo Esperance to withdraw the case in court against her boss, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, and even apologize to the President of the Commission.

Same Story For Second Sermon

Meanwhile, It was the same story when Madam Tsemo Esperance was summoned for the second time by the Disciplinary Council. She failed to show up under the pretext that she was not in good health.
But the Disciplinary Council did not believe her story, though the excuse was registered. The Disciplinary Council noted that Madam Tsemo Esperance, who would not respect the summons of the Council under the pretext that she was sick, never failed to show up in court in person, when ever the case of alleged sexual harassment that she filed against her boss, was to come up.

Madam Tsemo Esperance Fired From The Commission

Meanwhile as THE MENTOR also earlier reported, Madam Tsemo Esperance still failed to appear infront of the Disciplinary Council of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, for the third summon on February 27 2024. The Disciplinary Council noted that this time around, she did not even give any excuse for her absence.
Suffice to say that the Disciplinary Council ended up making a recommendation to the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, that Madam Tsemo Esperance (Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance
epse Kouobou Tsemo), the Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, should be dismissed from the Commission.
As THE MENTOR also reported, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, who seemingly was impatiently waiting for that recommendation, wasted no time to visa it.
In a correspondence addressed to Madam Tsemo Esperance (Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo) the very next day, February 28, 2024, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission officially informed her of her dismissal from the Commission, on the recommendation of the Disciplinary Council.

Prof Kobila Also Drags Madam Tsemo To Court

Meanwhile French language daily newspaper, Le Jour, reported in its lead story on Monday, March 18, 2024, that while the case of alleged sexual harassment that was filed against the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, by his now ex collaboator Is still pending at the Yaounde court, he too has taken his turn to file a case at the same court against her former collaborator, for DEFAMATION. “L’affaire James Mouangue Kobila: Alors qu’une procédure pour harcèlement sexuel sexuel est devant le TPI de Yaoundé centre administratif contre le Président de la Commission des Droits de l’Homme du Cameroun, ce dernier a saisir a son tour le tribunal contre son ex collaboratrice pour Defamation”. This is an interesting development in the matter.

High Personality Under Stress

This development is also indicative of the pressure or stress under which the matter has placed a high personality as Prof James Mouangue Kobila, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission.
When the matter was taken to court, supporters of Prof Kobila, including some NGOs, flooded the social media and even the traditional media, with attacks against Mrs Tsemo Esperance, whom they accused of being out to ruin the image of Prof Kobila and the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. They swore that Prof Kobila is a man of high moral standing, and called Madam Tsemo all sorts of names.
Some of the supporters who claimed to had seen the case file of the matter of alleged sexual harassment, alleged that it was empty, and predicted that the court would throw out the case on the first day that the matter would be called up in the court. But that didn’t happen.

Increase Media Coverage, But – –

Observers have also taken note that since the beginning of this year, there have been much media coverage, especially on the social media, of the activities of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila. The President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission has reportedly during this period, received or meet many personalities including diplomats and international figures.
This big increase in media coverage, was apparently a strategy adopted to give the impression that the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission was ‘not been distracted by the court case or accusation of sexual harassment. But the fact that Prof Kobila has decided to also drag his now ex collaborator, Tsemo Esperance, to court for alleged defamation, shows that even this strategy has not succeeded to take off Madam Tsemo Esperance’s accusation of sexual harassment from his mind.
One thing is that when a high profile personally like Prof Kobila (a former university don), is facing a serious issue of morality such as alleged sexual harassment in court, he in fact even gets more worried as to what the personalities that he receives or meets in the course of his duty, do really have in mind about him.

First Judgement To Impact Ruling On Second Case

Meanwhile with Prof Kobila having also dragged Madam Tsemo Esperance to the Yaounde Magistrate Court – Administrative Centre, What is likely to happen is that the first judgement that will be delivered, will have an impact on the ruling that will be delivered on the second case.
For example if the ruling in the first case, is that the accusation of sexual harassment raised against Prof Kobila is false, then it becomes obvious that the charge of defamation filed against Madam Tsemo Esperance in the second case will hold. But if in the first judgement Prof Kobila is found guilty of sexual harassment, the charge of alleged defamation filed against Madam Tsemo in the second case, will not hold.
The same court will likely not contradict itself in passing judgements on the same issue. Anywhere, let’s wait and see.