The criminal status of the Head of State, which in the past was regarded as a mere "academic hypothesis", is now the subject of debate in the academic world. Furthermore, the demands of the rule of law and the development of an international legal order are leading certain States to enshrine a more intelligible and concrete criminal status for the Head of State. In Cameroonian law, however, the question of the Head of State's criminal status remains unclear, not only because of the establishment of a system of criminal liability for the Head of State which derogates from ordinary law, but also because of the prevalence of the Head of State's lack of criminal responsibility.