A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced a senior government official, former head of the of the country’s National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Ebang Engonga to 8 years in prison for embezzlement.
The Bioko provincial tribunal found Baltasar Ebang Engonga guilty of diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in travel expenses meant for official use into his personal account. The ruling also includes a fine of $220,000, according to the country’s supreme court press director, Hilario Mitogo.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, popularly known as “Bello,” was arrested alongside 5 other senior officials accused of misappropriating state funds. The oil-rich central African nation has faced frequent corruption scandals, with this case drawing particular attention due to the sensational circumstances surrounding Engonga’s personal life.
he court’s ruling now places Engonga behind bars, marking one of the country’s most high-profile corruption convictions in recent years.
