Paul Biya’s plane crash that sent Marafa to prison in 2004

On April 25, 2022, Paul Biya and his family, aboard the presidential plane “Albatros”, returned from a trip to Yaoundé. En route therefore for a triumphant return home, Paul Biya’s plane has a very serious breakdown in the air…

This is the famous “Albatros” affair, the name of the presidential plane bought in 2011, which led to the imprisonment of Marafa Hamidou Yaya, Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara, two former secretaries general of the presidency, and former Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni.

According to what we know of this near-miss accident, this day, the “Albatross” suffered as breakdowns, the blocking of the landing gear, and a very pronounced hydraulic leak… In full flight, the captain Flight attendant Benoît Betam informs Paul Biya that the wing flaps of the Boeing 767-216/ER did not retract… Incident resolved. The worst has therefore been avoided today for Paul Biya.

The anger of Biya

The accident avoided, Paul Biya thinks of a failed coup d’etat, negligence, or carelessness in the race of his collaborators for enrichment. The anti-corruption operation Sparrowhawk then falls on those responsible suspected of embezzlement.

In the aftermath of this accident, Jean-Marie Atangana Mebara and Marafa Hamidou Yaya, two former secretaries general of the presidency (SGPR), Jérôme Mendouga, former ambassador to the United States, and Yves-Michel Fotso, former general manager of Cameroon Airlines are arrested and thrown in prison. The rest we know…