Operation Sparrowhawk: Jean Marie Akono Ze in custody

The former manager of accounts of license fee of CRTV has been held in custody on December 2 after a session at the Special Criminal Court.

Another manager of license fee of Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) has just fallen into the clutches of the hawk after Prof. Gervais Mendo Ze. Jean Marie Akono Ze aka the "Sultan of Oman", was taken into custody yesterday.


Jean Marie Akono Ze was heard several times since 2006 in the premises of the judicial police in Yaoundé before the file was transferred to the Special Criminal Court. His arrest that day is related to the management of CRTV for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.

As the account manager of license fee, he received funds regularly from the Ministry in charge of Finance for CRTV through a government grant for the proper functioning of the Office. He had to clarify why he held on to these accounts for which a report of the supreme state audit office had already found numerous anomalies and made the first sanctions, particularly vis-à-vis management officials of the Treasury Department of Finance, which is the operational arm available to CRTV.


Accompanied by a police officer, Jean Marie Akono Ze who wanted to flee the clutches of the hawk was arrested at the Cameroon-Gabon border in 2006 with suitcases full of banknotes. Therefore, he has been banned from leaving the country and under surveillance every movement to this day.