Empowering Justice: The Role of Private Prosecution in Cameroon

Over the years, the right of access to justice has evolved and today, it is not just improving an individual’s access to a court or guaranteeing legal representation, it is also the ability of people to seek and obtain a remedy through formal or informal institutions of justice for grievances in compliance with human rights standards. Accessing justice in general and criminal justice in particular is primordial to ensuring stability, economic development, and human rights. There is therefore no gainsaying that the Cameroonian legislator is right in providing for the right of private individuals to institute criminal proceedings directly before the court in sections 60 and 157 of the Criminal Procedure Code though there is the lingering question of to what extent has the right to institute a private prosecution enhanced access to criminal justice in Cameroon? This is the question this paper seeks to answer.