VISAS DONKEY: DEPENDENTS OF REMY ZE MEKA:

C O N F I D E N T I A L YAOUNDE 000245

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL/C JANE BECKER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2019
TAGS: KCOR CVIS PREL CM
SUBJECT: VISAS DONKEY: DEPENDENTS OF REMY ZE MEKA:
CORRUPTION 212F SAO REQUEST

REF: A. 08 YAOUNDE 2008

B. ACTION MEMO FOR UNDER SECRETARY BURNS DATED
02/27/2009

Classified By: Political Officer Tad Brown for reasons 1.4 b and d.


1. (C) Summary and action request. Embassy Yaounde
requests that the Department revoke the valid visas held by
the wife and two dependent children of Remy Ze Meka, the
Cameroonian Minister of Defense. On March 2, the Department
found Ze Meka ineligible to receive a visa because his
corrupt acts have had a serious adverse effect on U.S.
national interests in Cameroon (ref b). Embassy Yaounde
believes Ze Meka's wife and two children, having benefited
from Ze Meka's corrupt acts and ill-gotten wealth, are
subject to Proclamation 7750. Such a determination will
prevent the U.S. from becoming a safe haven for Ze Meka's
ill-gotten wealth, deal a blow to Ze Meka's power and send a
deterrent message to other kleptocrats, simultaneously
contributing to U.S. strategic priorities in Cameroon for
advancing democracy, fighting corruption and strengthening
the security sector. End summary and action request.


2. (C) Remy Ze Meka does not possess a valid visa, and Post
does not believe he will apply for a visa, in large part
because the Cameroonian press has widely publicized the
existence of the 212f ineligiblity and the Embassy's
willingness to find Cameroonian kleptocrats ineligible under
Proclamation 7750. Nevertheless, three of Ze Meka's
dependents possess valid non-immigrant visas and one son is
currently in the U.S., apparently with legal permanent
resident status. Herewith a summary of the relevant
information available to Post:

--ZE MEKA, Lydie; 12-APR-1955; wife; valid A1 visa issued at
Yaounde on 21-FEB-2008, expires 20-FEB-2011; identified
herself on DS-156 as the Director of Human Resources at the
National Social Insurance Fund;

--ZE MEKA, Yves Martial; 19-FEB-1990; son; valid B1/B2 visa
issued at London on 19-JAN-2009, expires 15-DEC-2009;
identified himself on DS-156 as a student at the London
School of Commerce;

--MEKA ZE, Rene Landry; 06-OCT-1986; son; possesses a valid
B1/B2 visa issued at London 16-JAN-2009; identified himself
on DS-156 as a student at the London School of Commerce;

--ZE MEKA, Eric; 12-MAR-1980; son; alien number 96984795;
information from the DS-156s of Yves Martial and Rene Landry
indicates that Eric lives at 3346 Teagarden Circle, Apartment
404, Silver Spring, Maryland 20904; Eric is included for
information only.

--ZE MEKA, Marthe Marie Edwidge; 14-MAR-1978; according to
documentation obtained by Post, Marthe Marie appears to be a
daughter to Remy who received a B1/B2 while she was studying
in Canada; Marthe Marie is included for information only.


3. (C) Although we have been unable to obtain detailed
financial information for any of Ze Meka's dependents, Post
believes there is a prima facie case that Lydie, Yves Martial
and Rene Landry are all dependents of Remy Ze Meka and
beneficiaries of the proceeds from his corrupt acts.


4. (C) Post's Human Resource Office estimates that someone
in Lydie's position within the Government of Cameroon (GRC)
would earn between 200,000 and 400,000 CFA per month (between
$400 and $800 per month, or between $4,800-$9,600 per year).
Remy Ze Meka, in his capacity as the Minister Delegate for
Defense, receives between 800,000 to 1,000,000 ($1,600 to
$2,000) per month in salary with as much as 500,000 ($1,000)
in monthly cash allowances, for a maximum annual income of
about $36,000 (plus housing). Yves Martial and Rene Landry,
full-time students in London are unlikely to contribute to
family income and listed on their DS-156s that the cost of
their travel to the US would be borne by their family. The
Ze Meka family income from official salaries is probably
about $46,000 per year. Although Ze Meka has other
income-generating assets, Post believes these assets were
acquired through his corrupt activities (ref a).


5. (C) Contacts at the British High Commission in Yaounde
estimate it would cost about 40,000 British pounds ($55,000
at current exchange rates) per child for students attending
the London School of Commerce and residing in the Camberwell
neighborhood of London, which would mean the education of
Yves Martial and Rene Landry costs somewhere in the
neighborhood of $110,000 per year, or more than twice the
family's estimated income.



6. (C) Comment. Post believes there is a prima facie case
establishing that Ze Meka's spouse and children have
benefitted from his corrupt acts, not least in the use of his
ill-gotten wealth to travel to the U.S., a luxury enjoyed by
only the wealthiest of Cameroon's population. By the GRC's
own definitions, more than a third of the population lives
under the poverty line, and the per capita annual income is
slightly more than $1,000 per year. Enforcing Proclamation
7750 to cancel the valid non-immigrant visas held by Ze
Meka's dependents would deter them from using the U.S. as a
safe haven and would have a deterrent effect for other
klepocrats and underscore the U.S. commitment to advancing
democracy and fighting corruption in Cameroon. End comment.
GARVEY