(JW) – A court in the Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who made headlines last year with hundreds of leaked explicit tapes, to eight years in prison for embezzlement of public funds.
Delivering the ruling on Wednesday, judges at the Bioko Provincial Tribunal found Engonga guilty of diverting public funds through fraudulent travel claims and irregular expenses while serving as head of the National Financial Investigation Agency (NFIA).
The court then imposed a fine of Sh28 million ($220,000).
Prosecutors had sought an 18-year sentence on charges of embezzlement, abuse of office and illicit enrichment, alleging damages exceeding 910 million CFA francs.
The judges, however, limited the conviction to embezzlement alone, resulting in the reduced penalty. Five other senior officials were also convicted in connection with the case.
Engonga whose nickname is “Bello,” made headlines last year when hundreds of explicit videos allegedly recorded by him materialized online.
The footage, which appeared to involve women linked to senior officials, spread widely on social media and embarrassed the ruling elite.
While the scandal dominated public debate, the leaked recordings were not part of the charges in court. Instead, Wednesday’s verdict centered solely on financial misconduct, TNX Africa reported.
The ruling marks a rare instance of a member of the powerful Obiang family facing legal punishment.
President Obiang, who has ruled the oil-rich nation since 1979, has long been accused by critics of entrenching corruption while silencing dissent.
Engonga’s legal team has yet to confirm whether it will appeal. For now, the once-powerful official faces years behind bars in what observers call an extraordinary fall from grace in one of Africa’s most tightly controlled states.
In another significant move, Ruslan Obian Nsue, the son of President Teodoro Obiang was also convicted for the illegal sale of a state-owned aircraft.
The ATR 72-500, belonging to the national airline Ceiba Intercontinental, was sold to a Spanish company, with Obiang Nsue allegedly pocketing the proceeds, according to Channel Africa.
The court ruled that Obiang Nsue, 50, a former Director of Ceiba Intercontinental, must serve six years in prison unless he reimburses the airline approximately $255 000, in addition to damages and a state-imposed fine.
Geopolitical analyst Aaron Ng’ambi commented on the implications of the ruling:
“This conviction is highly significant. It sends a clear message that accountability mechanisms are being enforced, even at the highest levels of government. It could mark a turning point for governance and transparency in Equatorial Guinea,” Ng’ambi said.