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	Cameroon: Priest Accused of Mismanaging Harvest Thanksgiving Fund By Kini Nsom, Leocadia Bongben & Edith Wirdze allAfrica February 25, 2008 http://allafrica.com/stories/200802251744.html The Parish Priest of the St Joseph's Anglophone Parish in Mvog-Ada Yaounde, Mgr Joseph Befe Ateba, has been accused of mismanaging harvest thanksgiving funds. The accusations are contained in a petition some Christians wrote to the Yaounde Archbishop, Mgr Victor Tonye Bakot, recently.The mismanagement allegations that have since been making rounds in the parish rated as the richest in the country, indict the priest for living an extravagant life. It was such allegations that compelled the priest to submit a document tilted 'Report On Expenditure During The Last Harvest Thanksgiving 29 October 2006-July 2007', in which he attempted to justify the huge sums of money he spent. Many parishioners, who read the report, said it is shady and smacks of mismanagement. They argue that spending, for instance, FCFA 1,099,000 on things that are not important speaks volumes to fact that the prelate is living in affluence. The repairs of parish cars feature more than five times, for a very short time, to the tune of FCFA 2,135,790. They questioned why electricity and fuelling of cars, amongst others, appear in the report, when the priest has a budget for them from weekly arms. The maintained that the thanksgiving that stood at FCFA 43 million was intended for the construction of houses and not for the running of the parish. They wondered why the priest talks of running cost that appears in three different places to the tune of FCFA 2,335,000. In the same vein, many people said it is difficult to understand how the reception for Reverend Father Ahanda could cost FCFA 850,000 while that of Rev Fr. Aletum stood at FCFA 150,000. Reacting to the accusations, Mgr Ateba said the total income of the harvest thanksgiving for 2007 stood at FCFA 43,545,749 with a total expenditure of FCAF 40,000,000. Acknowledging that the harvest money was not meant for expenses, he however, argued that the church has been completed. From the money got from last year's harvest, he said, "many of the things that were supposed to be done were not done." He said when he took over in the parish; he initiated the building of a parish house and expressed the need for a revenue-generating venture for the parish since the harvest is a yearly affair, which makes it difficult to cope with running the parish. He equally said the need of restructuring the parish council was pressing given that he needed a new set of people to work with. He said after restructuring the parish council he was about to clarify a number of things when rumour made rounds that he is "building schools, buying cars and putting on expensive clothes." Mgr Ateba maintained that the parish priest supervises the activities of the parish hardly comes in contact with money. He argued that if he had mismanaged money, the Sunday offerings which are normally from FCFA 90, 000 would not now hit FCFA 100, 000 and above if the parishioners were angry. When quizzed on the purpose of the Sunday offerings, he maintained that this is meant for the weekly running of the parish. He revealed that he called for external auditors for the parish just to ensure transparency. "I don't want to be mocked and gossiped at like this, I have done enough for this parish," the parish priest retorted. I have finished the Church, provided a quality sound system, put tiles in the church hall, he said. He maintained that he exhausts himself for the growth of the church and has renounced his allowance for about seven months now. He disclosed that FCFA 15,000,000 from last years harvest has not been used. He lamented that may be he is stepping on the interest of some people and said he made a mistake by making the parish known for its dynamism. He said there is a group in church that does not want him and has instigated others, especially the Nigerian community, not to work with him. He said a good number of persons come to church for God's sake and said if there are those who come for chieftaincy; the church is not the place.
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