The businesswoman and senator from the West region has offered to support candidates for the entrance exam for the lawyer internship in finding a sponsor. The Cameroon National Bar Association is protesting against this move, which it describes as a “drift.”
Potential candidates for the entrance exam for the lawyer internship at the Cameroon Bar were called upon to benefit from support from Senator Françoise Puene. The businesswoman and parliamentarian sent a message on February 22, 2026, to these young people who, wishing to apply for the said exam, are encountering difficulties. In her appeal, she says she has noted that “many candidates struggle to check the ‘sponsorship’ box, to find a sponsor under the conditions set by the texts.
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Indeed, according to the decree from the Ministry of Justice dated February 12, 2026, opening the exam, candidates must submit a file consisting of several documents, including “a sponsorship letter from a lawyer practicing for at least five years.” In a press release dated February 13, the Cameroon National Bar Association set out other details regarding the sponsorship requirement.
According to the body, each candidate must present a sponsorship letter duly signed on the official letterhead of the sponsoring law firm. The said letter must include the official stamp of the law firm, the sponsor’s name stamp including their registration number, the sponsor’s date of admission to the Bar, among others. Faced with these requirements which pose difficulties for some candidates, “I have committed to involving law firms to facilitate this crucial requirement. You can already send me your sponsorship request letter to be submitted as soon as possible at the Hotel Franco in Yaoundé,” she stated.
As soon as the message was shared on social media, the Cameroon National Bar Association made a statement to reprimand Françoise Puene. The Bar “protests with the utmost energy” against this “drift.” It “condemns this noisy intrusion into a profession regulated by law and age-old rules.” According to the Bar President, sponsorship is not “a sporadic or commercial act, and even less a gimmick in the hands of politicians.”
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In his communication, the Bar President reminds candidates that files containing certificates of existence for firms not listed in the Bar’s register to date and accompanied by firm inspection reports along with firm location plans will be systematically rejected. Barrister Mbah Eric Mbah, Bar President, warns any lawyer who would lend themselves to this “drift” by warning them that they face disciplinary sanctions.
Thus, any potential candidate should think twice before responding to the call made by the senator. Françoise Puene’s statement and the Bar’s reaction undoubtedly harbor questions of corruption surrounding this exam, particularly regarding the acquisition of the sponsorship letter.
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