A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Baltasar Ebang Engonga, former head of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), to eight years in prison for embezzlement of public funds.
The Bioko provincial tribunal delivered the ruling on Wednesday, August 27, 2025, finding Engonga guilty of misappropriating travel allowances and other official funds. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $220,000.
Engonga had been in the spotlight since November 2024, when more than 400 explicit sex tapes involving him and relatives of senior government officials surfaced during a corruption probe.
The scandal led President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to sign Decree No. 118 on November 4, 2024, dismissing him from office for misconduct and breach of public trust.
READ ALSO:400 Sex Tapes: Equatorial Guinea Jails Baltasar Engonga for Embezzlement
Although the sex tape scandal triggered public outrage and ended his career, the criminal trial focused on financial crimes, leading to this week’s conviction for embezzlement.
Some reports had suggested that Engonga faced up to 18 years in prison on multiple charges, including illicit enrichment and abuse of office.
However, only the eight-year sentence for embezzlement has been confirmed by the court.
The conviction marks one of the rare high-profile graft cases in the oil-rich Central African state, which has long faced criticism from international watchdogs over corruption and misuse of public resources.