The saga of Equatorial Guinea's ruling family has taken another dramatic turn. In a verdict that has sent ripples through the oil-rich nation, Ruslan Obiang Nsue, the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, has been convicted for the illegal sale of an aircraft belonging to the national airline, Ceiba Intercontinental. The court’s ruling not only confirms a significant act of public corruption but also shines a harsh light on the internal power dynamics and pervasive legal troubles that have long plagued the Obiang dynasty.
The case against Obiang Nsue centered on the disappearance of a state-owned ATR 72-500 aircraft. Investigations revealed that the former deputy general manager of the airline had sold the plane to a Spanish maintenance firm, Binter Technic Company, and pocketed the proceeds without government approval. For this crime, prosecutors initially sought a lengthy prison term of 18 years. However, the court has ruled that Obiang Nsue can avoid a six-year prison sentence if he reimburses the airline $225,000 and pays additional fines to the state.
This conviction is just the latest in a series of scandals involving the Obiang family, which has ruled the Central African nation for over four decades. It follows on the heels of another recent legal battle involving a presidential relative. Just a day earlier, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a nephew of President Obiang, was sentenced to eight years in prison for misappropriating public funds. His case drew international attention not only for the embezzlement charges but also for the highly publicized sex tape scandal that accompanied his arrest, a series of events widely seen as a calculated political move to sideline him from the line of succession.
This conviction is just the latest in a series of scandals involving the Obiang family, which has ruled the Central African nation for over four decades. It follows on the heels of another recent legal battle involving a presidential relative. Just a day earlier, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a nephew of President Obiang, was sentenced to eight years in prison for misappropriating public funds. His case drew international attention not only for the embezzlement charges but also for the highly publicized sex tape scandal that accompanied his arrest, a series of events widely seen as a calculated political move to sideline him from the line of succession.
The legal troubles of the Obiang family are not confined to their home country. For years, they have been embroiled in international legal battles in Europe and the United States. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the President's son and current Vice President, has been at the center of these investigations. In 2017, a French court handed him a suspended jail sentence and a massive fine, along with the seizure of assets, for money laundering. Similarly, a 2011 probe in the United States forced him to surrender more than $30 million in assets linked to similar allegations of misusing public money for personal gain.
