The Supreme Court ( French ''Cour Suprême'') is the highest judicial body in

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. As defined in Article V of the

Constitution of Cameroon The Constitution of Cameroon is the supreme law of the Republic of Cameroon. Adopted in 1972, it is Cameroon's third constitution. The document consists of a preamble and 13 Parts, each divided into Articles. The Constitution outlines the rights gu ...

, the Supreme Court is above the courts of appeal and the

tribunals A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a si ...

. It is nominally independent of the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

and

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

branches of government, subject only to the oversight of the Higher Judicial Council. The justices are appointed by the

president of Cameroon The president of Cameroon is the executive head of state and de facto head of government of Cameroon and is the commander in chief of the Cameroon Armed Forces. The authority of the State is exercised both by the President and by the Parliament. ...

. The court is headquartered in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

. The Supreme Court is an

appellate court A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of ...

made up of three parts: the judicial, administrative, and audit benches. The judicial bench rules on standard cases appealed from the lower courts. the administrative bench handles cases involving the state, such as election disputes and appellate cases involving the government. This branch can hear such cases on the first instance.Christou and Starmer 663. The audit bench takes cases relating to public accounts of public and semi-private entities. The Supreme Court may only rule on the constitutionality of law at the behest of the president of Cameroon. The body typically decides appeals only on

point of law In law, a question of law, also known as a point of law, is a question that must be answered by applying relevant legal principles to interpretation of the law. Such a question is distinct from a question of fact, which must be answered by reference ...

. The Supreme Court was founded in 1961 to replace the

Federal Court of Justice The Federal Court of Justice (german: Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) is the highest court in the system of ordinary jurisdiction (''ordentliche Gerichtsbarkeit'') in Germany, founded in 1950. It has its seat in Karlsruhe with two panels being situat ...

.Fongbe 253.

Notes

References

*
Background Note: Cameroon
. October 2006. United States Department of State. Accessed 2 January 2007. *
Cameroon
. ''The World Factbook''. United States Central Intelligence Agency. 12 December 2006. Accessed 20 December 2006. * Christou, Theodora A., and Keir Starmer (2005). ''Human Rights Manual and Sourcebook for Africa''. The British Institute of International and Comparative Law. * ''Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon''
English
an

versions). 18 January 1996. Accessed 4 January 2007. * Fonge, Fuabeh P. (1997). ''Modernization without Development in Africa: Patterns of Change and Continuity in Post-Independence Cameroonian Public Service''. Trenton, New Jersey: Africa World Press, Inc. Law of Cameroon Government of Cameroon

Yaoundé 1961 establishments in Cameroon Courts and tribunals established in 1961 {{Africa-law-stub