In brief
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a high-ranking official in Equatorial Guinea and nephew of President Teodoro Obiang, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement. He was found guilty of diverting public funds for personal use, amidst a backdrop of a scandal involving leaked sexual videos. Engonga's involvement in the scandal and subsequent arrest reflected his fall from grace and potential political ambitions in the oil-rich nation.
A nephew of Equatorial Guinea's President, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who was at the center of a sex tape scandal last year, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency, diverted funds for personal use as ruled by the court.
Affectionately known as 'Bello' due to his good looks, the married Engonga gained notoriety last year when he appeared in leaked videos engaging in sexual acts with various women, many of whom were wives or relatives of influential figures close to the government.
The leaks emerged while he was detained and already accused of depositing large sums of embezzled money into secret accounts in the Cayman Islands.
Engonga was convicted along with five other officials who falsely claimed funds as travel allowances, with individual amounts ranging from $9,000 to $220,000.
His arrest in October and subsequent public humiliation appeared to be an effort to crush any presidential aspirations he may have had.
His uncle, the longest-serving president globally since 1979, has also installed his son, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, as vice-president.
Once tasked with investigating crimes like money laundering, Engonga found himself imprisoned at the notorious Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo, facing corruption charges.
Following his arrest, his phones and computers were seized, and shortly after, numerous intimate videos began to surface online. While the authenticity of these tapes has never been confirmed, suspicion persists that someone within the security forces might have leaked the footage to damage his reputation.
In addition to his prison sentence, the tribunal levied a fine of $220,000 against Engonga, as reported by Hilario Mitogo, director of the supreme court press.
