Paris-Brazzavile: Blaise Louembe, the emissary of Pascaline Mferri Bongo Ondimba

What is not known is whether he was forced to or whether it was simply that, he was a Gaullist zealot.  It is something or a period that, the truth will never been known because I think Bernard Volker will not like to talk about. Bernard Volker is also known to have worked in both the United States and in Germany as correspondent for TF1. He is fluent in both English and German. But the coming of Bernard Volker at the head of a television station that was made up in majority of Africans from north and sub Saharan Africa and the Caribbean was not well received by the staff. It staff said that, the inferiority complex of the Gabonese have forced them to hand over the management of the first pan African television station to French whites whose only interest  was to make money. In fact the coming of Bernard Volker at the helms of 3 A Telesud that became known only as Telesud, also marked the end of its ambitions and originality. Bernard Volker made a lot of promises. He promised to transform or change everything. He promised regular and timely payment of salaries. The payment of salaries regularly and on time was the only piece of good news that came along with the takeover of Telesud by white men. For before they came, staff stayed for between two-three months without pay. The station also owed Globecast, the satellite distributing company, about three hundred and fifty thousand Euros. Besides owing Globecast, Telesud also owed rents for the offices that we were using at Cognac Jay. They owed twenty six thousand Euros in unpaid rents. 3 A Telesud was a company that was slowly but effectively going to be closed. But it must be pointed out that, Jean Philippe Kabore was no longer receiving financial support from the Gabonese. A thing that changed immediately the whites came, the floodgates of financing was opened in Libreville. One of the reasons why Jean Philippe Kabore was no longer receiving funding from Libreville was because, before and after the death of President Omar Bongo Ondimba, the interim administration or the transition phase in Gabon made things a little bit tough for Pascaline Bongo Ondimba.

Especially that, Pascaline Bongo Ondimba rapport with Ali Bongo Ondimba her younger brother, who was formerly defense minister and currently President of the Republic, was fraught with suspicions and power tussle. And as a consequence, Telesud had to suffer because it was not the priority. But as things got worst financially for Telesud, Pascaline Bongo Ondimba fearful of media reaction and the consequences on their already battered image in France, she was obliged to dispatch one of her loyal friend to Paris to solve the financial and management problems of Telesud. The emissary was Blaise Louembe. Mr Louembe was Pascaline‘s loyal friend in the government of Gabon formed by her younger brother Ali Bongo Ondimba. Mr Louembe was a former minister of finance and former pay master general. He is currently minister of Sports of Gabon. He was born on the 20^th of February 1960 in Koulamoutou in Gabon. He was the one who regularly left Libreville for Paris with bank checks to settle debts on behalf of Pascaline Bongo Ondimba. Whenever he arrived with those checks in France, in order to avoid the monetary authorities of France to search or trace the origin of the checks, the said checks were recycled as payment for legal counseling carried out by Danielle Palazzo Gauthier.

In fact, besides legal services, Danielle Palazzo Gauthier also served to launder money for Pascaline Bongo Ondimba. The checks brought from Libreville were used to settle the debts aforementioned and also the payment of salary arrears. During the era of Jean Philippe Kabore, he was assisted by Jean Luc Beis in the administration. The other management staff was Jacob Aime Leboue who was the head of human resources while Louis Magloire Keumayou was the news director. The new era under Bernard Volker, the administration became lily white. Aurelian Delpeyroux was the operational manager while Sandrine Parpet was the assistant to Volker. For a while, Jacob Aime Leboue and Louis Magloire Keumayou were left into their functions but they were soon ejected. I suspect that, the new management never wanted a black person to hold any administrative or management functions within Telesud.