A court in Equatorial Guinea has convicted one of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s sons for illegally selling an aircraft belonging to the national airline, a court official said.
On Tuesday, a judge ruled that Ruslan Obiang Nsue, 50, a former director of state-owned Ceiba Intercontinental, must serve six years in prison unless he reimburses the state for the missing plane, according to Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo, speaking to reporters via WhatsApp.
Obiang Nsue, who previously served as Secretary of State for Sports and Youth, was found guilty of illegally selling an ATR 72-500 aircraft to a Spanish company and keeping the proceeds. However, the court acquitted him of separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.
He was placed under house arrest in 2023 by order of his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is also the president’s son.
According to Mitogo, the court said Obiang Nsue could avoid prison if he repaid approximately $255,000 to the airline and paid additional damages and a fine to the state.
In a separate case, Obiang Mangue was handed a suspended prison sentence and a $35 million fine by a French court in July 2021 for embezzling public funds.
President Obiang, 83, has ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 46 years, making him the world’s longest-serving head of state.
AFP
