A nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s long-serving president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement, deepening a scandal that has shaken the country’s ruling elite. Baltasar Ebang Engonga, 34, nicknamed “Bello” for his good looks, once headed the National Financial Investigation Agency. A court in Malabo found him guilty of diverting public funds for personal use, alongside five other officials accused of falsely claiming travel allowances ranging from $9,000 (£6,600) to $220,000. He was also fined $220,000, according to Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo.
Engonga first drew international attention last year when dozens of sex tapes allegedly showing him with various women some related to powerful figures within the regime leaked online while he was in detention. The videos, whose authenticity was never independently verified, surfaced shortly after authorities seized his phones and computers, raising suspicions that the leak came from within security services to damage his reputation. His arrest in October 2024 was widely seen as a political move to eliminate him as a possible rival in the succession race. President Obiang, who has ruled the oil rich Central African nation since 1979, has long been grooming his son, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, as his successor.
Engonga had previously been tasked with investigating financial crimes such as money laundering but ended up in Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison on charges of corruption. Analysts say his downfall highlights the deep internal rivalries within Equatorial Guinea’s ruling family, which has faced years of international scrutiny over corruption and human rights abuses.
