Justin Danwé Testimony: Alleges Gendarmerie Manipulation in Martinez Zogo Trial

• Justin Danwé, a key accused in the Martinez Zogo affair, publicly challenged the Gendarmerie Nationale's investigative practices during his testimony at the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé on October 26, 2026.
• Danwé alleged that his interrogation reports were based on consensus among three individuals, and that he received unauthorized visitors who pressured him to implicate Jean-Pierre Amougou Bélinga after Bélinga's arrest.
• LC Bialo Dieudonné, head of the SCRJ, denied Danwé's claims and became agitated during cross-examination, leading to an intervention by the tribunal president who ordered him to retract an inappropriate remark.
• The testimony highlighted broader concerns about the Gendarmerie Nationale's handling of the investigation, including alleged threats to witnesses and the fabrication of evidence.
• These revelations are significantly damaging the Gendarmerie Nationale's public image and could impact the integrity of the ongoing Martinez Zogo trial proceedings.

The Gendarmerie Nationale's reputation is reportedly suffering significantly due to its conduct in the Martinez Zogo affair, a consequence described as entirely deserved given the unfolding revelations.

During a session at the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé on October 26, 2026, Justin Danwé, a principal accused in the Martinez Zogo affair, delivered a compelling testimony that sharply criticized the investigative methods employed by the Gendarmerie Nationale. His cross-examination of Lieutenant-Colonel (LC) Bialo Dieudonné, who serves as the head of the Central Judicial Research Service (SCRJ) and appeared as the 35th prosecution witness, followed a lengthy exchange between LC Bialo and Léopold Maxime Eko Eko.

Danwé presented several startling claims regarding his own interrogations. He asserted that his questioning sessions were consistently conducted with three individuals present—himself, Colonel Otoulou, and LC Bialo—and that only points agreed upon by consensus were subsequently recorded in the official reports. LC Bialo immediately refuted this, dismissing the claim as a product of Danwé's imagination. Furthermore, Danwé questioned LC Bialo about unauthorized visitors he received during his prolonged detention at the SRJC, emphasizing that these individuals were neither family, friends, nor colleagues. He pressed LC Bialo to identify who authorized these visits, which he stated occurred immediately after the arrest of Jean-Pierre Amougou Bélinga.

The Justin Danwé testimony further intensified concerns surrounding the Gendarmerie Nationale investigation manipulation within the broader Martinez Zogo affair Cameroon. Danwé directly implicated the investigative process, alleging that it was after these unauthorized visits that he was compelled to construct a narrative specifically implicating Jean-Pierre Amougou Bélinga. He highlighted the timing, noting that Bélinga's arrest had taken place on February 6, 2023, and questioned why he had not implicated Bélinga prior to that date if the allegations were genuinely his own.

LC Bialo's responses to these pointed questions were often evasive and, at one point, overtly hostile. When asked about the identity of Danwé's visitors, Bialo simply stated they were "his visitors" and reiterated a Gendarmerie Nationale policy that structure heads do not manage visits. He then challenged Danwé to provide the names of any individuals he did not wish to receive. The tension escalated when Bialo, visibly agitated, told Danwé, "I think you are not well," prompting a public outcry and an intervention from the tribunal president, who ordered Bialo to retract his inappropriate remark and maintain decorum.

The revelations from the Justin Danwé testimony underscore a pattern of alleged misconduct that has cast a shadow over the Military Tribunal Yaoundé proceedings. Broader criticisms of the Gendarmerie Nationale's handling of the Martinez Zogo affair have previously included concerns over the questionable management of suspects' telephones, threats made against witnesses, and a perceived reluctance to pursue all serious investigative leads. The director of the publication Kalara has explicitly stated that the Gendarmerie Nationale is "paying a very heavy price for its image" in this case, a sentiment reinforced by the unfolding events in court.

These allegations of Gendarmerie Nationale investigation manipulation, including the purported fabrication of evidence and coercion to implicate individuals like Jean-Pierre Amougou Bélinga, raise serious questions about the integrity of the entire investigative process. The Gendarmerie Nationale's reputation is reportedly suffering significantly due to its conduct in the Martinez Zogo affair, a consequence described as entirely deserved given the unfolding revelations. Such claims could have profound implications for the admissibility of evidence and the overall legitimacy of the trial's findings, potentially setting precedents for how future cases involving law enforcement procedures are scrutinized.

Lawyers and compliance officers in Cameroon should closely monitor the Martinez Zogo trial for precedents regarding allegations of investigative manipulation and coercion by law enforcement. These revelations could provide grounds for challenging the admissibility of evidence or the integrity of police procedures in future criminal defense cases, particularly those involving the Gendarmerie Nationale.

Source: Original reporting via Kalara