Ministry of Justice of Cameroon

The Parliamentary Court of Justice is responsible for judging acts by the President in cases where he or she has been accused of high treason.

This Court also has responsibility for judging acts by the Prime Minister of the Cameroon, other members of the Government and other senior officials in cases relevant to state security.

Prior to independence, jurisdiction over Cameroon was shared between the United Kingdom and France under a League of Nations mandate issued in 1919.

As a consequence, the country inherited a dual legal system including parts of the Code Napoleon and the common law.

However, on 12 July 2005 the National Assembly (Assemblé Nationale) approved a law to harmonize the country's criminal procedure code.

The International Centre for Prison Studies estimates that Cameroon has the second highest occupancy rate in the world after Barbados with approximately half awaiting trial.

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights held hearings in 2003 into allegations of torture by the police and the military.

The major area of concern was the prison network although it has been acknowledged that Cameroon had made some progress in improving its human rights performance.