The Special Criminal Court has finally sentenced former Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Jean Marie Atangana Mebara to 25 years in prison. The President Biya acolyte was charged for embezzlement in June 2003 in the now famous Albatross affair that involved 5 million US dollars (2,905,500,000 CFA) for the purchase of the presidential plane.

State prosecutors stated in the indictment that “rather than continuing the process of buying a new aircraft engaged a few years earlier, Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara oriented spending this bonanza to lease a used aircraft (L ‘ Albatross)”.  The former secretary general at the presidency said he acted on instructions from the Head of State. The sentence is in addition to other two charges where he received 15 and 20 years respectively for embezzlement.

Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a High Court in the Centre region. In October 2013, he was again sentenced to 20 years in prison for embezzlement of 1.7 billion CFA francs in the payment of rent arrears by the defunct airline company Cameroon Airlines. Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara is currently being held at the Kondengui Central prison in Yaoundé since August 6, 2008.

Rita Akana (CIR)