Organisation of the Supreme Court

# ORGANISATION OF THE SUPREME COURT

• Law No 2003/005 of 21 April 2003 to lay down the Jurisdiction, Organization, and Functioning of the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court;
• Law No 2006/016 of 29 December 2006 to lay down the Organization and Functioning of the Supreme Court amended and supplemented;
• Law No 2011/028 of 14 September 2011 to set up a Special Criminal Court amended and supplemented by Law No 2012/011 of 16 July 2012.

The Supreme Court is the highest State court in judicial, administrative and audit matters.

The Seat of the Supreme Court is in Yaoundé.

Its jurisdiction covers the entire national territory.

1. Composition

The Supreme Court is composed of:

a) At the Bench

• a Chief Justice, Lord Chief Justice of the Supreme Court;
• Bench presidents;
• Judges of the Supreme Court;
• Masters of the Supreme Court;
• Puisne judges of the Supreme Court;
• a Registrar-in-Chief of the Supreme Court;
• Registrars-in-Chief of Benches;
• Registrars;

b) At the Legal Department

• a Procureur General;
• a Senior Avocat Général;
• Advocates General.

Members of the Supreme Court are Judicial and legal officers governed by the rules and regulations of the Judicial and Legal service. However, for service needs, the following officials may be appointed judges of the Supreme Court or advocates General for extraordinary service at the Supreme Court, in administrative or audit matters.

(a) University lecturers in law or Economics with at least 15 uninterrupted years of teaching experience;

(b) Lawyers enrolled at the Cameroon Bar, with at least 20 uninterrupted years of practice.

(c) Category A civil servants and contract workers who are holders of a masters degree in law with at least (20) uninterrupted years of experience in the public service.

In the case of unavailability, the Chief Justice shall be replaced by the most senior President of a Bench in the highest scale.

In the case of unavailability of the President of a Bench, he shall be replaced by the most senior President of the highest scale.

II. Administrative organisation

The Supreme Court comprises :

1. a Judicial Bench;
2. an Administrative Bench;
3. an Audit Bench;
4. a Specialised Division;
5. a Panel of Joint Benches;
6. a Full Bench;
7. a commission for the compensation of victims of illegal detention pursuant to section 236 of the Criminal Procedure Code;
8. a Legal Aid Commission;
9. a Bureau;
10. a General Secretariat;
11. a Registry.

Each Bench comprises:

• a panel of joint divisions.
• Divisions

The Judicial Bench comprises:

• a Civil Division;
• a Commercial Division;
• a Criminal Division;
• a Labour Division;
• a Common Law Division;
• a Customary Law Division;

The Administrative Bench comprises: - a Division for Civil Service Litigation; - a Division for Land Tenure Litigation; - a Division for Tax and Financial Litigation; - a Division for Public Contracts Litigation; - a Division for Nullification and Sundry Issues.