A major scandal unfolded as Equatorial Guinea’s financial crime chief faces backlash over alleged explicit video leaks. Over 300 explicit videos leaked of Baltasar Engonga with the women mostly the wives of prominent businessmen of the country.
The leaks appeared on Internet in October, 2024.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, Director General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has found himself in a scandal worthy of a spy movie – or at least a reality show.
Originally under investigation for fraud, authorities allegedly stumbled upon a stash of over 300 tapes showing Engonga in romantic escapades with a cast that includes his brother’s wife, a cousin, and even the President’s sister. Now, it’s not just his finances under scrutiny but also his choice of “office activities.”
What began as a routine corruption probe took an unexpected twist when investigators found the videos on Engonga’s computer. The recordings, reportedly consensual, were captured in various settings, including his office, hotels, and restrooms, and have since leaked online. The tapes have created quite the uproar, making Engonga’s public service career look a little too “public” for comfort.
The Attorney General’s Office, led by Anatolio Nzang Nguema, is less amused, launching an inquiry into how the tapes were leaked and whether Engonga may have posed health risks. “If proven, he could face charges for endangering public health,” stated a spokesperson, hinting that Engonga might be dealing with more than just media scrutiny.
Baltasar Engonga jailed following the scandal
The nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who was at the centre 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 money for personal use, a court ruled.
Nicknamed “Bello” because of his good looks, the married Engonga gained notoriety last year, when he appeared in leaked videos having sex with different women – many of them wives and relatives of people close to the centre of power.
The leak occurred while he was in detention, accused of depositing a huge sum of embezzled money into secret accounts in the Cayman Islands.
He was found guilty along with five other officials who allegedly claimed the money as an allowance for travel – the amounts ranged from $9,000 (£6,600) to $220,000.
Engonga’s arrest last October and public humiliation was seen as an attempt to destroy any hope he had of becoming the next president of the oil-rich central African state.
His uncle is the world’s longest-serving president having been in power since 1979, and has appointed his son, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, as his vice-president.
Engonga used to investigate crimes such as money laundering, but found himself at the infamous Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo, after being accused of corruption.
His phones and computers were seized and a few days later the intimate videos started appearing online in their dozens.
The authenticity of the videos was never verified, but as the computer equipment was in the hands of the security forces, suspicion fell on someone there leaking it, perhaps to trash Engonga’s reputation.
As well as imposing a jail sentence, the tribunal fined Engonga $220,000, supreme court press director Hilario Mitogo was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying in a WhatsApp message to journalists.