SON OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE EQUATORIAL GUINEA, FACES JUSTICE IN PARIS.

Despite his attorneys’ many objections, the trial of Mr.
Teodorín Nguema Obiang Mangue, vice president and
son of the dictator of Equatorial Guinea, opened in
Paris on June 19, 2017. The Parisian court will
examine the charges against Teodorín, including
“laundering of misused public funds”, “embezzlement
of public funds”, “violation of the public trust”, and
“corruption”. The suit was brought by two non-
governmental organizations, Sherpa and Transparency
International.
The website ccfd-terresolidaire.org explains the origin
of this case of “ ill-gotten wealth “:
In March 2007, CCFD-Terre Solidaire
(Catholic Committee Against Hunger and
For Development) posted a discussion
paper online entitled ‘Ill-Gotten Gains…Too
Often Won: The Wealth of Dictators and
Western Complacency’. The landmark
study, downloaded over 100,000 times,
backed up the charges made in France
against Omar Bongo, Denis Sassou
Nguesso, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema. The
latter was also pursued in Spain. An
updated version of the report was published
two years later in 2009, entitled: ‘Ill-Gotten
Gains… Cui Bono?’ . This report reviewed the
diverted assets of more than thirty leaders
of developing countries. The CCFD-Terre
Solidaire estimates that in the last few
decades between 105 and 180 billion
dollars were stolen by about thirty
authoritative leaders and kleptocrats on
several continents (Africa, Asia, and South
America). For their part, the World Bank
and the United Nations estimate that
developing countries lose between 20 and
40 billion dollars each year to corruption.
The defendant, who could afford a long legal
procedure, engaged in a battle with France that has
now lasted ten years. Kouamé L. – PH. Arnaud
KOUAKOU from burkina24.com lays out the facts:
Ten years ago, the NGOs Sherpa and
Transparency International filed their first
complaints against Teodorin Obiang
concerning his ‘ill-gotten wealth’. From that
point until the opening of the case against
the president’s son, there was a series of
legal twists and turns and asset seizures:
exotic cars, luxury watches, and real estate
in Paris. The defendant did not deign to
travel to Paris and was represented by
three lawyers there. According to
Africanews, their strategy consisted in
arguing that he benefits from diplomatic
immunity, as he is vice president of a
foreign government.
Though its population totals just 759,451, Equatorial
Guinea is the seventh highest oil-producing country in
Africa. In 2008, the income per capita reached the
sum of $41,267.13 , higher than that of Germany in
2015, at $41,178.50 . The country’s economy depends
on this production and the income per capita
decreased to $14,439.60 in 2015 due to the fall in oil
prices over the past few years. This is still higher than
several European Union member states, and Equatorial
Guineans are the richest Africans on average.
Unfortunately, this is only true in theory since the
riches surging from under ground and sea are poorly
distributed. Though the ruling class grew more
wealthy, spending in the public domain didn’t increase.
Summarizing a report it published, the human rights
defender Human Rights Watch stated :
For example, the vaccination rates are
some of the worst in the world. Vaccination
against tuberculosis in newborn babies and
infants fell from 99% in 1997 to 35% in
2015. More than half of the population of
Equatorial Guinea does not have access to
safe drinking water nearby, a rate which
hasn’t changed since 1995. In 2012, 42% of
primary school-aged children (46,000
children) did not attend school, ranking
seventh in the world.
Prestige spending has increased, absorbing enormous
sums for the benefit of a privileged minority. In a
statement on hrw.org, researcher Sarah Saadoun
called on President Macron to go further in the fight
against money laundering and condemned such
practices:
The most expensive and perplexing project
is the new capital, Oyala, right in the
middle of the jungle. It's the third capital in
this country of one million inhabitants. After
spending billions on the construction of
ministerial buildings in Malabo, the current
island capital, and in Bata, the continental
capital, the government budgeted an
additional eight billion dollars (more than
seven billion euros) for Oyala according to
the IMF, which estimates this would make
up half of the country’s 2016 budget.
Troubling elements have led us to believe
that this massive spending on infrastructure
will likely be used for personal benefit. For
instance, it seems that the president, the
first lady and Teodorin together own the
construction company and have a monopoly
on cement imports. The new capital’s
construction has also attracted foreign
entities, including some French companies.
One example is Egis Group, which is
responsible for the design of the city.
Between prestigious residences in enchanting
locations, luxury cars, collections of Hollywood and
sports memorabilia, and tax havens, the vice president
of Equatorial Guinea doesn’t hold back on his self-
indulgence. For example, the site vesper.media reveals
that the value of his two yachts, Ebony Shine, 75.75
meters long and Ice, 90 meters, is equivalent to ten
times the annual education budget in Equatorial
Guinea and seventeen times that of the public health.
The maintenance alone of Ebony Shine would cost
“approximately $800,000 per month, not including
fuel”.
His father, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo, has been in power since 1979 and was
reelected in 2016 with 93.7% of the vote. As usual, he
named a new government in which the juiciest
positions went to family members and allies. In an
article entitled ‘Equatorial Guinea: The State in the
Hands of the Presidential Family’ , published last
September, Ondo Ololobi lists the presidential family
members who are part of the government and reveals
the immense wealth of Mrs. Constancia Mangue de
Obiang, the most powerful personage in the regime.
Excerpt:
She is Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s
wife. The president has fallen completely
under her influence. She uses all kinds of
subterfuge and abuse of authority to
elevate her first son, Teodorín Nguema
Obiang Mangue, to the Equatorial Guinean
presidency. She is very discreet, a
multibillionaire, and she rarely appears on
the political scene. She is, however, the
one pulling the strings at the presidential
palace behind the scenes. Through her
cunning, she was able to place 30 out of 70
ministers (for a country of 710,000
inhabitants) in the government, all of whom
come from the presidential clan.
The site diariorombe.es tells us that on the day the
trial began, Mr. Jerónimo Osa Osa Ecoro, secretary
general of the ruling party, the Democratic Party of
Equatorial Guinea (Partido Democrático de Guinea
Ecuatorial, or PDGE) , invited the population to take
part in a peaceful — but obligatory — demonstration of
support in front of the embassy of France in Malabo.
This baron among the barons, who seems to like cash,
had his residence burglarized twice. The first time, the
thieves allegedly got away with more than 39 billion
FCFA [48,640,000 euros] .

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