Mr. Amougou Belinga was presented "in the night" before the military court in the capital Yaoundé, then placed in pre-trial detention, indicated his lawyer, Me Charles Tchoungang, and a source within the military court under cover of the anonymity.

"It's only an indictment, the judicial investigation has only just begun" and "he is not charged with the murder of Martinez Zogo", underlined his advice.

Mr. Belinga "was placed under a warrant of committal (...) in the main prison of Kondengi" after having been "presented before an examining magistrate at the military court", specified a media group which he owns in a statement.

When asked, the authorities did not follow up on other charges, but several people suspected in this case involving important agents of the administration were also presented to the military court on Friday evening, according to a journalist from the AFP on site.

Leopold Maxime Eko Eko, head of the General Directorate of External Intelligence (DGRE) and its director of operations, Justin Danwe, are among those suspected, an official from the Ministry of Communication told AFP under cover of anonymity and other official sources also requiring confidentiality in recent days.

An AFP journalist was able to see the head of the DGRE leaving the military court on Saturday around 6:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) and getting into a vehicle.

"Assassination"

Abducted on January 17 by unknown persons in the suburbs of the capital in front of a gendarmerie post, Arsène Salomon Mbani Zogo, known as "Martinez", 50, was found dead five days later.

“His body has obviously suffered significant abuse,” the government announced.

Martinez Zogo particularly denounced at the microphone of his program Bottling alleged cases of corruption in which he regularly called into question Mr. Amougou Belinga, owner of numerous business groups in the fields of banking, finance, insurance, real estate and the media, including the daily L'Anecdote, the Vision 4 and Télésud television stations as well as the Satellite FM radio station, all reputed to be in favor of power.

Political opposition, human rights NGOs, journalists' unions, national and international, had unanimously condemned this "assassination" urging an independent investigation.

The government had very quickly denounced a "heinous crime" and announced, on February 2, the arrest of "several people", "strongly suspected" of being involved in this assassination which triggered a wave of indignation in the country and abroad.

A few days before the arrest of Mr. Belinga on February 6, the international organization Reporters without Borders (RSF) had denounced a "state crime", "in an atmosphere of war of succession, even of major destabilization of the regime of President Paul Biya", who has since celebrated his 90th birthday.

RSF implicated by name and directly Mr. Amougou Belinga in the abduction, acts of torture and murder of Martinez Zogo, citing the minutes of the hearing of very senior officials of the arrested security apparatus, and whose the organization claims to have read a copy.

RSF also quoted an important minister in the responsibilities that led to the death of Martinez Zogo, as well as "other important personalities, including several ministers close to Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, (who) could have been informed", in always relying on the hearing report.

© 2023 AFP