A nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement. Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, was found guilty of diverting public funds for personal use.
Engonga, popularly known as “Bello,” came to public attention last year when sex tapes allegedly showing him with several women were leaked online while he was in detention. He had been accused of transferring large sums into secret accounts in the Cayman Islands.
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A court in Malabo ruled that Engonga and five other officials illegally claimed funds meant for travel allowances. The amounts involved ranged from $9,000 to $220,000. Alongside his prison term, he was fined $220,000, according to the Supreme Court’s press director, Hilario Mitogo.
Engonga was once responsible for investigating financial crimes such as money laundering, but ended up in Black Beach prison after being accused of corruption. His fall from power has been widely seen as ending any chance of him succeeding his uncle, the world’s longest-serving president.
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