Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a 47-year-old former Director General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has been sentenced to 18 years in jail in a high-profile corruption trial in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The court found Engonga guilty of embezzling more than 1 billion CFA francs (approximately $1.5 million) in government funds, marking a momentous step in the country’s ongoing efforts to combat elite corruption.
Engonga, who previously led the nation’s anti-graft agency, was charged with embezzlement, illicit enrichment, and abuse of office. The charges stem from his tenure as head of the Directorate General of Insurance and Reinsurance (DGAR) between 2015 and 2020, during which prosecutors alleged he orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to siphon public funds for personal gain.
The national prosecutor requested a combined sentence of 18 years: 8 years for embezzlement, 4 years and 5 months for illicit enrichment, and 6 years and 1 day for abuse of power.
In addition to the prison term, Engonga faces a lifetime ban from holding public office and a fine of approximately $1.5 million.
The trial, which began on Monday, 1 July 2025, has drawn significant attention both in Equatorial Guinea and internationally, fueled by Engonga’s prior notoriety from a 2024 scandal involving more than 400 explicit videos.
The recordings, discovered during a fraud investigation, depicted Engonga in intimate encounters with numerous women, including relatives of high-ranking government officials.
Some of the videos, filmed in his office at the Ministry of Finance, sparked widespread public outrage and led to his dismissal from ANIF by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on 4 November 2024.
Engonga, a nephew of President Obiang, had been detained at the infamous Black Beach Prison since September 2024 following his arrest on corruption charges. His defense team argued that the charges were politically motivated, aimed at silencing dissent within the country’s political elite, and questioned the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence.
Despite those claims, the court upheld the charges, citing substantial evidence of financial misconduct. The scandal has intensified scrutiny of Equatorial Guinea’s government, with critics calling for stronger anti-corruption measures and greater transparency.
In a public condemnation of the scandal, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue signaled possible reforms to restore integrity in governance, emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy for actions that undermine public trust.
As the trial concludes, attention now turns to Engonga’s co-conspirators, whose identities are expected to be revealed in the coming days, and to the government’s next steps in addressing systemic corruption.
In response to the scandal, the Equatorial Guinean government has announced plans to bolster privacy and personal data protection laws to prevent future infractions of this kind.
Meanwhile, Engonga’s legal team has indicated they may appeal the verdict, setting the stage for further legal battles in this closely watched case.
– Jeremiah Richu
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