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Viral personality, Baltasar Engonga, was in a Malabo court after spending over ten months in detention, as his high-profile corruption trial continues.
The ex-director-general of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) had been detained at Black Beach Prison since September 2024.
He is facing embezzlement charges alongside several other former senior officials.
During Monday’s court proceedings, prosecutors detailed what they described as a sophisticated scheme to divert public funds for personal gain.
The scheme was supposed to be coordinated by Baltasar Engonga during his tenure as head of the Directorate General of Insurance and Reinsurance (DGAR) from 2015 to 2020, in collaboration with
The news outlet, Le Bled Parle, reports that the national prosecutor has been summoned for a notably severe punishment: 8 years in prison for embezzling public funds, 4 years and 5 months for unlawful enrichment, and 6 years and 1 day for abuse of power.
In addition to the prison terms, the charges include a recommended fine of over 910 million CFA francs (approximately 1.5 million USD) and a prohibition from holding any public office throughout the sentence period.
In a major crackdown on corruption in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, former Director-General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), is not alone in facing justice. Six other former senior officials, including Carmelo Julio Matogo Ndong, Ireneo Mangue Monsuy Afana, and Florentina Iganga Iñandji, are also on trial for allegedly orchestrating a widespread scheme to misappropriate public funds. Authorities have uncovered what they describe as an extensive network of financial corruption, implicating key state institutions between 2015 and 2020.
The trial is expected to last three days, with proceedings continuing this week as defence attorneys present their arguments.
Engonga’s legal team has denounced the charges as politically driven and questioned the reliability of the prosecution’s evidence.
The court is anticipated to make known its verdict in the coming days, bringing the high-profile corruption trial closer to its conclusion.
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