VZCZCXRO2930
PP RUEHBC RUEHBZ RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHKUK RUEHMA
RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #0431/01 2810823
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 080823Z OCT 09 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7285
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000431 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/C AND S/USSES 
LONDON FOR POL - LORD 
PARIS FOR POL - KANEDA 
ADDIS ABABA FOR AU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON PREF PHUM CD
SUBJECT: HIGH PROFILE GOC CORRUPTION CASES MAY BE THE START OF A 
PUBLIC DISCOURSE 
 
REF: NDJAMENA 428 
NDJAMENA 424 
 
NDJAMENA 00000431  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) As Chad's oil revenue dwindles and the GOC exhausts its 
2008 budgetary surplus, allegations of corruption are dominating 
local political discourse and headlines.  Chad's Ministry of 
Morality, charged with investigating corruption within government 
ranks, has been hard at work, sparing none in its sights.  President 
Deby's continued financial commitments of infrastructure spending 
have exacerbated budgetary strains, and project tendering remains 
fraught with questionable practices.  The effects of the collapse in 
oil prices are being felt by even those most cushioned -- fairly or 
otherwise -- from financial difficulties.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
-------------------------- 
CORRUPTION MAKES THE MEDIA 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Chad's 2009 budget woes, given the decline in world oil 
prices, are well documented (Ref B).  Individuals accustomed to 
helping themselves to a share of revenue seem to be feeling the 
pinch of reduced income; jealousy and rivalry are certainly 
contributing to a recent passion for unmasking those still perceived 
to be benefitting unfairly.  Even some within the President's tribe 
have not been immune to government efforts to fight corruption. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Chad's Ministry of Morality, charged with the 
investigation of corruption allegations, works in concert with the 
prosecutorial authority of the Ministry of Justice.  The five-year 
old Ministry of Morality has been more active in its investigations 
this year than previously, with Ministry officials particularly 
tireless in August and September, disclosing headline-grabbing 
accounts of corruption across government ranks. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) A synopsis of some of the more sensational cases follows. 
 
-- Officials in the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of 
Education allegedly embezzled 3 million USD budgeted for textbooks 
from the Ministry of Education.  Several high-profile arrests 
included the current and former Directors of Administration, 
Material, and Financial Affairs at Education, both of whom are 
members of President Deby's Zaghawa tribe. 
 
-- Abdelkerim Issakha Diar, the Head of the National Fund for Social 
Security (CNPS), was arrested for trying to bribe First Lady Hinda 
Deby with 100,000 USD to become Minister of Finance.  Abdelkerim and 
his uncle, also members of the President's tribe, were prosecuted 
and sentenced to five years in prison. 
 
-- The N'Djamena District Attorney's office recommended a 10 
year-sentence for two Customs Department officials accused of 
illegally selling medicine. 
 
-- The Ministry reported the embezzlement, misappropriation, and 
mismanagement of over 800,000 USD in public funds in three southern 
Chad cities. 
 
-- Bob Dedjebe, the former director of the High Counsel for 
Communication (HCC), was arrested after the Ministry of Morality 
found 200,000 USD missing from the organization. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In an October 6 conversation with Pol/Econ Chief, Abakar 
Hamai Makore, Director General at the Ministry of Morality, 
emphasized his commitment to stamping out corruption and said that 
the recent spate of cases was only the start of a broad campaign. 
Hamai lamented that his Ministry, and its anti-corruption mission, 
was only five years old and that Ministry officials were without a 
full complement of tools and experience needed to carry out their 
work.  He refused to elaborate on the reasons behind the Ministry's 
recent successful string of investigations, stating only that 
officials were working diligently and acquiring "savoir faire." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Hamai said he believed that Chad's anti-corruption laws 
were strong enough to address the problem, so long as they were 
applied (thus making reference to a sometimes difficult relationship 
with the Ministry of Justice).  Hamai explained that his Ministry 
could only recommend cases for prosecution, and that the Justice 
 
NDJAMENA 00000431  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Ministry was ultimately responsible for choosing whether or not to 
act.  Hamai proudly proclaimed that over 200 officials had been 
detained for questioning by the Justice Ministry.  He expressed 
passion for his calling and made clear that by working with 
religious leaders -- as "neither the Koran nor the Bible" permits 
corruption -- his Ministry could slowly change Chadian mentality 
toward unethical behavior. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
POVERTY REDUCTION EFFORTS ARE NOT IMMUNE 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) In addition to outright cases of embezzlement and bribery, 
more subtle forms of corruption are common here, and some seemingly 
innocuous practices routinely lead to price-fixing or kick-backs. 
For example, any project or contract costing 50 million CFA (over 
100,000 USD) or more must receive approval by the President.  In a 
stab at efficiency, the President often approves contracts in 
batches, some at very early stages, with the result that costs are 
negotiated upward, to the benefit of all concerned, after the 
President has approved them.  This flies in the face of standard 
procedures and forces ministries to locate funding for specific 
projects long after budgets have supposedly been finalized. 
Embassy interlocutors routinely lament that lack of competitive 
bidding and public tendering of procurements has led to many 
projects being financed at unreasonably high levels. 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Even infrastructure spending that inarguably benefits the 
public sometimes takes place in a highly questionable manner (Ref 
A).  For example, the GOC does build schools, but not all are 
located in areas that need them.  Health clinics have also been 
built, but funds for staff and equipment have occasionally been 
embezzled or not allocated, leaving many buildings empty and 
unused. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Public outrage at corruption is generalized these days. 
Chadians are tired of waiting for oil revenues to trickle down and 
benefit the average citizen.  Revelations of corruption are 
beginning to embolden public discourse and shape citizens' 
expectations of their leaders.  Addressing the endemic culture of 
corruption here will require concerted efforts over a long period, 
but the young Director General at the Ministry of Morality does not 
intend to yield any time soon.  His actions may help not only to 
clean up Chad's public sector, but also to encourage citizens to 
understand that public officials can be accountable, if voters 
demand standards.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶10.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
BREMNER