Lady Who Dragged Her Boss To Court On Allegation Of Sexual Harassment, Sacked

Lady Who Dragged Her Boss To Court On Allegation Of Sexual Harassment, Sacked

31 year old Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo was Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation, as as well former Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the Cameroon Human Commission.

Her dismissal letter was signed on February 28, 2024 by the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, whom she accused of sexual harassment

When THE MENTOR reported on the case of alleged sexual harassment at the Cameroon Human Rights Commission in Yaounde early last month, it was also stated in the article that plans were underway to fire the Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation at the Commission, 31 years old Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo, who dragged her boss, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, to court for alleged sexual harassment. It came to pass on February 28, 2024, when the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, rapidly validated a proposal that was made by the Commission’s Disciplinary Council on February 27, that Madam Tsemo Esperance, the Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation be sacked from the Commission.

Madame Tsemo Esperance Was Recruited By The Commission In 2018

It’s worthy of note that Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo, was born in Yaounde on May, 25, 1992. Thus she will soon be 32. Meanwhile she was recruited by the Cameroon Human Rights Commission on May 14, 2018, ‘en qualité de cadre’, meaning senior personnel of official of the Commission.
Then 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. Interestingly enough Madame Tsemo Esperance was again on August 18, 2022 appointed Chief of Cabinet of the President of the. Cameroon Human Rights Commission by the President of the Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila. By then, the lady was just a little above 30 years.
Curiously enough, Madame Tsemo Esperance was removed from the post of Chief of Cabinet barely close to six months later. To be precise, she was removed from post on February 6, 2023. There was no official statement as to what happened, though some sources closed to the President of the Commission talked of Mrs Tsemo having allegedly committed ‘fautesl lourdes’, that is serious or heavy faults, but with no details.
But curiously again, Madam Tsemo was sent back to her former post of Chief of Service for Translation and Interpretation. She occupied that post until she was sacked from the Cameroon Human Rights Commission on February 28, 2024.

Madam Tsemo Esperance Drags Her Boss To Court

Meanwhile late last year, Mrs Tsemo Esperance filed a case through ‘Citation Directe’, at the Yaounde Magistrate Court (Court of First Instance), Administrative Center, against the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, whom she accused of sexual harassment among others.
Then through correspondence No.3429/ 23/ CDHC/ SP/ SAG/ BAA of 19th December 2023, Madam Tsemo Esperance was informed that she had been dragged to Disciplinary Council of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. It should be noted that another correspondence which THE MENTOR laid hands on, showed that it was the Office of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, that filed a complaint to the President of the Disciplinary Council of the Commission against Mrs Tsemo Esperance.
In the correspondence that was written by one of the close collaborators of the President of the Commission, Madam Tsemo Esperance was accused of having committed ‘fautes lourdes’, that is serious faults, though no details were given. It was also alleged in the correspondence that Madam Tsemo Esperance had since 2021 refused to respond to a total of four queries that were addressed to her by hierarchy.The correspondence concluded that Madam Tsemo Esperance should be summoned to appear at the Disciplinary Council. Thus it seemingly looked as if the President of the Disciplinary Council, who also happened to be a woman, was being instructed to summon Madam Tsemo Esperance to appear before the Council.

Madam Tsemo Esperance Failed To Show Up At The Disciplinary Council

Whatever the case, in the article that THE MENTOR did early last month, it was stated that the Disciplinary Council of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission summoned Madam Tsemo Esperance to appear infront of the Council for the first time on January 25, 2024, but that she failed to show up. Her lawyer informed the Disciplinary Council before that day, that she was sick, though that appears not to have been true.
Madam Tsemo Esperance was summoned for the sevond time to appear before the Disciplinary Council on February 13, 2024. Again, Madam Tsemo failed to show up under the pretext that she was sick. The Disciplinary Council summoned Madam Tsemo Esperance for the third time to appear at the Commission on February 27, 2024. Again she failed to show up. This time around, she did not give any excuse.

Disciplinary Council propose The Dismissal Of Madam Tsemo Esperance

Meanwhile on that February 27, 2024, the Disciplinary Council of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution proposing that Mrs Tsemo Esperance be dismissed from the Commission. Members of the Disciplinary Council were said to had been irritated that Mrs Tsemo Esperance appears in person at the Yaounde Magistrate Court, in the case she filed against the President of the Commission, but that when the Council summons her, she fails to show up, on the pretext that she was sick.
As aforementioned, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, speedily reacted to the proposal of the Disciplinary Council that Madam Tsemo Esperance be fired from the Commission. The very next day which was February 28, the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission validated the proposal of the Disciplinary Council, in a correspondence addressed to Madame Nkouete Messah Judith Esperance epse Kouobou Tsemo, to inform her that she had sacked from the Cameroon Human Rights Commission. The reference of the correspondence: No. 358L / 24 / CDHC/ SP / SAG / BAA / OF.

Charges Levelled Against Mrs Tsemo Esperance

It is the February 28, 2024 correspondence of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, the alleged charges or reasons for which Mrs Tsemo Esperance was dismissed from the Commission, were stated. The alleged charges were: “Defaillances et négligences gravés dans l’accomplissement de vous tâches professionnelle, l’insubordination caractérisée, désobéissance a la hiérarchie, retards excessifs en permanence, absences injustifiées, répétées et prolongée”. That is: Failures and serious negligence in the accomplishment of her professional duties, insurbordination and disobedience to hierarchy, excessive and permanent lateness, repeated prolonged and unjustified absences.
But questions are being asked as to why the Office of the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, decided to drag Madam Tsemo Esperance to the Disciplinary Council for ‘fautes lourdes’, that is serious or heavy faults, only after she had dragged the President of the Commission to court for alleged sexual harassment.
Questions are also being raised as to whether it was right for the President of the Disciplinary Council of the Commission, to summon Mrs Tsemo Esperance to appear infront of the Council, after she had decided to drag the President of the Commission to Court. It was certainly clear to Madam Tsemo Esperance that real intention or mission of the Disciplinary Council in the affair, was to question her on why she dragged the President of the Commission to court, and above all to squeeze her on what evidences she had in her possession to substantiate or back the allegation of sexual harassment. And that was probably why Madam Tsemo Esperance’s lawyer advised her not to respect the summons of the Disciplinary Council.

Unfair Pressure On The President Of The Commission

It should also be noted that the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, has being under unfair pressure and mental torture, following the accusation of sexual harassment raised against him by his former Chief of Cabinet, Madam Tsemo Esperance. Just as supporters and sympathisers of James Mouangue Kobila have been bashing Tsemo Esperance on the social media calling her name’s, supporters and sympathisers of Tsemo Esperance have been insisting thst Prof Kobila should either resign as President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, or he be destituted for ‘fautes lourdes’ (serious faults).
THE MENTOR considers that it is not right to have dismissed Madam Tsemo Esperance from the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, when the matter of alleged sexual harassment is still in court. What if at the end of the day she wins the case? If that happens, she will very likely drag the Cameroon Human Rights Commission to court for wrongful dismissal. What will the President of the Disciplinary Council and her members say?
THE MENTOR also considers it wrong for some people to be calling on the President of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, Prof James Mouangue Kobila, to resign or be destituted of the post. At this point, the matter filed against him in court by Madam Tsemo Esperance is still an accusation. What if at the end the day of the day, the court in its ruling declare that Prof Kobila is not guilty of the charge of sexual harassment?