Equatorial Guinea: 18 years in prison requested for Baltasar Ebang Engonga
On Monday, June 30, 2025, in Malabo, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, former director of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), appeared alongside several codefendants, including multiple women, in a case of public fund embezzlement.
En Guinée équatoriale, ouverture du procès de Baltasar Ebang Engonga
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, former director of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) from Equatorial Guinea, was presented to the court in Malabo this Monday. The former official and several of his associates, including some women, are being prosecuted for public fund embezzlement.
According to allegations, Baltasar Ebang Engonga was involved in a vast network of corruption that included fraudulent transfer of millions of CFA francs to offshore accounts. This heavily publicized trial took place under tight security amidst a context of national tension.
Already weakened by a major sexual scandal at the end of 2024, the former ANIF director became the center of attention after a private affair, following the widespread broadcast of intimate videos of himself with women identified as wives of high-ranking officials. Although acquitted in this first case in 2025, suspicion of corruption continued to plague him.
The prosecutor is seeking up to 18 years in prison for Baltasar Ebang Engonga and his codefendants. Several women involved in this case could also face heavy sentences. This Monday June 30, 2025, court appearance marks the former director’s first official appearance in court since his intimate videos were shared on social networks.
According to judicial sources, Baltasar Ebang Engonga had been in custody at Black Beach prison in Malabo for several months when the compromising videos circulated on internet, causing public outrage.
The trial continues in the coming days, with a highly anticipated verdict in this case that intertwines sexual scandal and public fund embezzlement at the state’s helm.