Equatorial Guinea’s Bioko provincial tribunal has sentenced senior official Baltasar Ebang Engonga to eight years in prison and fined him $220,000 for embezzlement, months after sex tapes featuring him surfaced online.
A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced senior government official Baltasar Ebang Engonga to eight years in prison for embezzlement, months after he became notorious over leaked sex tapes with other officials’ wives.
The Bioko provincial tribunal found Engonga guilty of diverting professional travel funds for personal use, Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo confirmed in a WhatsApp message to reporters.
Engonga, a married former head of the national financial investigation agency, and five other senior officials were accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars in the oil-rich Central African nation.
Nicknamed “Bello,” Engonga made headlines in November when explicit videos—some filmed in his office at the finance ministry—surfaced on social media while he was being held over the corruption case. The clips spurred online parodies, including songs, dances, and a spoof virility drug called “Balthazariem.”
Mitogo said the provincial court also imposed a fine of $220,000 on Engonga.
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