Amadou Vamoulke, the former General Manager of Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV), has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The Special Criminal Court in Yaoundé found him guilty of embezzling 2 billion FCFA on Thursday, August 29.
Before his sentencing, the 74-year-old had been in pre-trial detention since 2016. Initially charged with embezzling 16 billion FCFA, the amount was reduced to 2 billion FCFA at the final hearing.
Human rights activists have long argued that the charges against Vamoulke were fabricated. In 2021, an audit of CRTV’s accounts during his tenure revealed that the money in question was actually a debt owed to the state broadcaster.
According to Barrister Akere Muna, who personally knows Vamoulke, the “amount represents unpaid debts owed to CRTV, dating back to his predecessor! The company’s accountant, following standard practice, classified these unpaid invoices as bad debts—nothing to do with Vamoulke! Even the United Nations called for his release.”
Muna described Vamoulke as a good manager during his time at CRTV. “His former colleague, Alain Massé, head of RFI, referred to him as ‘Mr. Clean of Public Media,’ noting how he opted for 2-star hotels while others stayed in luxury accommodations,” Muna said. He also added, “I spoke with the former Chairman of the Independent Procurement Commission at CRTV, who praised Vamoulke’s transparency and integrity, stating he never involved himself in procurement issues. His recruitment process was also solid and transparent.”
In addition to calls for his release from the UN, Vamoulke has received support from numerous professional and human rights organizations in over 40 countries. “I am both stunned and distressed by the destruction of a decent human being’s life, especially when, in the same country, corrupt individuals openly display billions obtained through bribes from the confessed corruptor-in-chief, Glencore,” Muna stated.
Vamoulke served as General Manager of CRTV from 2005 until his imprisonment in 2016. He is the second General Manager of CRTV to be imprisoned, following his predecessor, Gervais Mendo Ze, who was sentenced to 20 years for misappropriation of public funds and died in prison in 2021.
