Gabon: the Mba Obame family is torn apart over the patriarch's succession

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

In Gabon, the Mba Obame family is torn apart. André Mba Obame, the former minister of Omar Bongo, who became an opponent of Ali Bongo, died in 2015. Among the elements of his political succession, television + TV. It was founded in 1999 and has been headed since by nephew Franck Nguéma. Except that the latter was elected deputy in 2018 then entered the government in early 2019, as Minister of Sports and Associative Life. Some family members saw red. Notably one of André Mba Obame's sons, Joseph Atomo. He is in conflict with his cousin Franck Nguéma for the presidency of the channel. At the same time, he accuses the latter of having diverted the advertising revenues for his benefit. 

Publicity

Joseph Akomo filed a complaint against X with the National Financial Prosecutor's Office in Paris. According to the document, his cousin used his advertising management company. It is she who would have invoiced the communication costs of companies like Airtel, Gabon Telecom or the Energy and Water Company.

"We understand that a mechanism for dissipating the resources of the TV + Gabon company has been structured," explains Me William Bourdon, lawyer for Mba Obame's son, joined by Vincent Dublange from the Africa department of RFI, both directly through what we consider that we are abusing corporate assets and at the same time diverting the sums that should have been paid by advertisers for the benefit of the company TV + Gabon, for the benefit of this structure whose sole shareholder and sole manager is Mr. Franck Nguéma . "

The interested party disputes. According to the Minister of Sports, a complaint against X and a media lawyer is "the demonstration of what after having failed judicially in Gabon the strategy is now to politicize this dispute which is only a family succession to TV +  ".

Franck Nguéma says he is “  serene  ” and ready to provide “  all the information to the competent authorities  ”. He is supported by another son of the patriarch, André Mba Obame: Yves-Antoine Eyene Mba, known as “Tony”, who has lodged a complaint against his brother.

For his part, Joseph Akomo names the mother of Minister Nguéma in his complaint.
The complainant claims that she would have benefited from the money allegedly embezzled to invest in real estate in France. A real family affair with which Gabonese policy is customary.

It is now for the French justice to decide on the follow-up to be given to the complaint against X: classification without follow-up or investigation ...

Newsletter Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

• Gabon