Telesud, one of Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga’s media structures closed its doors on September 28. Though an official statement is yet to be made concerning the reasons, there were already signs of a possible shutdown.
As many ponder on what will become of the workers, the reasons for the shutdown are equally preoccupying.
Back in February 2023 when Amougou Belinga was arrested for involvement in the gruesome murder of radio journalist Martinez Zogo, he had already engaged in talks with a group of Arab investors to sell the Telesud channel, sources reveal.
It’s just been barely three years since he became owner of the pan-African France-based channel founded in 1998.
It is understood that the revenue generated from the media structure was no longer covering the operating cost. Salary problems started arising among workers.
The Editor-in-Chief of the TV channel, Laurent Leleux through a post on LinkedIn a week ago, thanked “everyone” as he announced the closure of the TV house.
As it stands, the structure owes the Cameroon government 2.3 billion FCFA in unpaid taxes.
The Directorate General of Taxation at the Ministry of Finance, issued a correspondence on October 2, demanding a complete payment of the money owed. The office said it will resort to confiscation of property if the payment is not made within eight days.
Jean Pierre Amougou Belinga has been in jail for more than eight months as the prime suspect in the murder of Amplitude FM manager, Martinez Zogo, who was found dead on January 22, 2023.
Under his organization Anecdote Group, Amougou Belinga runs other businesses including, Vision 4 Cameroon, Vision 4 RCA, Radio Satellite FM, the Anecdote newspaper, Vision Finance, and the ISSAM University.
