Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement. According to the court, Engonga diverted large sums of public funds for personal use.
Nicknamed “Bello” for his striking appearance, the married Engonga became a subject of national controversy last year after explicit sex tapes leaked online.
The videos, which featured him with multiple women, many reportedly connected to political elites emerged while he was already in detention. He had been accused of depositing millions of dollars of embezzled funds into offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands.
Engonga, along with five other officials, was found guilty of illegally claiming funds meant for travel allowances, with amounts ranging from $9,000 (£6,600) to $220,000. In addition to the prison term, the tribunal imposed a fine of $220,000, Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo told journalists via WhatsApp, quoting AFP.
His downfall has been widely interpreted as a deliberate move to eliminate any possibility of him succeeding his uncle, President Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea since 1979, making him the world’s longest-serving head of state. Obiang has already positioned his son, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, as vice-president and potential successor.
Once tasked with investigating financial crimes and money laundering, Engonga instead found himself on the receiving end of corruption charges.
He was imprisoned in the notorious Black Beach facility in Malabo, where his phones and computers were seized. Days later, dozens of intimate videos began circulating online.
The authenticity of the recordings was never formally verified, but suspicion has lingered that elements within the security services may have leaked them to damage his reputation and cement his political downfall.
