Randy Equatorial Guinea’s Ex-Financial Crimes Chief, Baltasar Sentenced For Eight Years
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the suspended Director-General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement, following a high-profile scandal that drew international attention.
According to Hilario Mitogo, press director of the Supreme Court, the Bioko provincial tribunal found Engonga guilty of diverting public funds by falsely claiming travel expenses and using the money for personal gain.
The judgment, shared with reporters via WhatsApp, also included a $220,000 fine.
Engonga, who once led the country’s top anti-corruption body, stood trial alongside five other senior officials accused of siphoning off hundreds of thousands of dollars in the oil-rich Central African nation.
His legal troubles were overshadowed by a sensational controversy in late 2024, when explicit video recordings allegedly involving the wives of other government officials surfaced online.
The tapes, reportedly filmed inside Engonga’s office at the Ministry of Finance, went viral while he was already in custody on corruption charges.
The scandal ignited a wave of online mockery, spawning memes, parody songs, and satirical dances. Social media users even coined the term “Balthazariem” to describe a fictional virility drug, poking fun at Engonga’s alleged exploits.
Despite the distraction caused by the viral tapes, the court focused on financial misconduct in its ruling, acquitting Engonga of other charges unrelated to the embezzlement case.
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