The former Director-General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), Baltasar Engonga, has been detained in Malabo’s notorious Black Beach Prison following allegations of corruption and the leak of intimate videos.
Engonga, who was officially dismissed from his post on November 4 under Decree No. 118/2024, is at the center of a high-profile scandal that has raised questions about political power in Equatorial Guinea.
The scandal follows his October 25 arrest on charges of embezzlement, where he was accused of siphoning a substantial amount of state funds to undisclosed accounts in the Cayman Islands.
However, it was the subsequent discovery of over 400 intimate videos — allegedly recorded by Engonga himself, featuring encounters with married women connected to Equatorial Guinea’s elite — that sparked public outrage.
These leaks have flooded social media over the past two weeks, leaving many stunned.
Vice-President Teodoro Obiang Mangue, son of the current president and a prominent contender in the succession race, responded swiftly.
On October 30, he issued a public order giving telecom companies a 24-hour deadline to curb the spread of the videos. “We cannot continue to watch families fall apart without taking any action,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In his statement, Obiang Mangue confirmed that an investigation was underway to identify those responsible for the leaks.
Engonga is a nephew of the long-standing President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled since 1979, making him the world’s longest-serving head of state.
With the 82-year-old leader’s reign nearing an end, many believe this scandal could be part of a succession battle within the ruling family.
Political analyst and activist Nsang Christia Esimi Cruz, speaking to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast, suggested that Obiang Mangue could be using this as an opportunity to eliminate potential rivals.
“What we are seeing is the end of an era, the end of the current president, and there is a succession [question] and this is the internal fighting we are seeing,” said Cruz.
Obiang Mangue, previously implicated in corruption cases abroad, is positioning himself as a reformist.
Last year, he took steps to prosecute his half-brother for misuse of government assets, and more recently called for the installation of CCTV cameras in government offices to “combat indecent and illicit acts,” asserting that officials engaging in such conduct would face suspension.
Meanwhile, activists have voiced concerns that the government may exploit the scandal to curb social media freedoms in the country.
In July, authorities temporarily suspended internet access following protests on Annobón Island.
Cruz, who works for the human rights organization GE Nuestra, described the sex tape leak as a “symptom of the illness.”
“This sex scandal for us is just a symptom of the illness, it’s not the illness itself. It just shows how corrupt the system is,” he stated.
With President Obiang’s administration under increasing international scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture, the case has brought spotlight on a regime that many argue lacks transparency and accountability.
