A senior Equatorial Guinean official and nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement, following a case that has gripped the nation with scandal and intrigue.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, once head of the country’s National Financial Investigation Agency, was found guilty of diverting large sums of public funds for personal gain. The tribunal also imposed a $220,000 fine, according to the Supreme Court’s press office.
The 54-year-old, popularly known as “Bello” for his looks, became the focus of a high-profile scandal last year after intimate videos allegedly featuring him with multiple women surfaced online. Many of the women were said to be connected to political elites, raising tensions at the heart of government.
At the time of the leak, Engonga was already in custody on corruption charges. Prosecutors accused him of funnelling embezzled funds into offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Five other officials were convicted alongside him for claiming inflated travel allowances, with amounts ranging from $9,000 to $220,000.
The release of the videos—reportedly from devices seized during his arrest—was widely seen as a calculated move to tarnish his image and derail his suspected presidential ambitions. President Obiang, in power since 1979, has long been accused of grooming his son and current vice-president, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, as his successor.
Once a powerful figure responsible for probing financial crimes like money laundering, Engonga is now serving his sentence at the notorious Black Beach prison in Malabo. The scandal has not only ended his political career but also underscored the deep rivalries within the ruling elite of Africa’s longest-serving leader.
Equatorial Guinea Official Jailed for Embezzlement After Sex Tape Scandal
A nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement, a court has ruled.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, was found guilty of diverting public funds for personal use. He was also fined $220,000, according to the Supreme Court’s press office.
Engonga, who was nicknamed “Bello,” drew widespread attention last year after videos allegedly showing him in intimate encounters circulated online. The videos were leaked shortly after he was arrested on corruption charges, including allegations of transferring funds to secret offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands.
Five other officials were also convicted in the case for claiming inflated travel allowances, with amounts ranging between $9,000 and $220,000.
Once a senior anti-money laundering investigator, Engonga is now serving his sentence at Black Beach prison in Malabo.
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