Equatorial Guinea Jails Senior Official Engonga 8 Years for Embezzlement

Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a senior government official and former head of Equatorial Guinea's national financial investigation agency, was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $220,000 for embezzlement by the Bioko provincial tribunal. Engonga was found guilty of diverting public funds disguised as travel expenses for personal use, alongside five other senior officials implicated in misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars. His case gained international notoriety after explicit sex tapes involving Engonga and wives of other officials were leaked on social media, some filmed inside his Finance Ministry office. These leaks triggered widespread online mockery, including parodies, songs, dances, and memes about a fictitious virility drug called “Balthazariem.” The scandal has overshadowed the financial misconduct case but marks a significant moment in the country’s efforts to address corruption among high-ranking officials. The sentencing closes a sensational chapter combining corruption and scandal in the oil-rich Central African nation.