Baltasar Engonga, the former Director General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), is facing up to 18 years in prison following corruption charges brought against him in a Malabo court.
Engonga, who has been held at Black Beach Prison since September 2024, is on trial for embezzlement and abuse of office, charges that prosecutors say stem from a sophisticated scheme he allegedly orchestrated while serving as head of the Directorate General of Insurance and Reinsurance between 2015 and 2020.
In court on Monday, prosecutors laid out details of what they described as a deliberate effort to siphon public funds for personal enrichment. The national prosecutor has recommended a cumulative sentence of 18 years: eight years for embezzling public funds, four years and five months for unlawful enrichment, and six years and one day for abuse of power. In addition to the prison term, a fine exceeding 910 million CFA francs (roughly $1.5 million) has been proposed, along with a ban on holding public office for the duration of the sentence.
The 54-year-old economist is being tried alongside six other former senior government officials, including Carmelo Julio Matogo Ndong, Ireneo Mangue Monsuy Afana, and Florentina Iganga Iñandji. All face similar charges related to the alleged misappropriation of state funds in what authorities are calling a sprawling corruption network.
The trial, which is expected to span three days, continues this week as defence lawyers begin presenting their case.
Beyond the corruption charges, Engonga has also drawn attention due to a separate scandal involving explicit video recordings. During the investigation, authorities reportedly uncovered over 400 sex tapes hidden in CDs in his home and office. The tapes allegedly depict sexual encounters with numerous high-profile women in the country, including the wives of prominent politicians and officials.
Among those allegedly featured in the recordings are the wife of the Director General of Police, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, Engonga’s cousin, and even his brother’s wife. Many of the encounters are believed to have been consensually recorded, though the subsequent leak of the videos online has sparked national outrage and widespread media coverage.
While the sextape scandal is not directly related to the corruption charges, it has compounded public interest in the case and raised broader concerns about abuse of power within Equatorial Guinea’s political elite.
