Olayiwola Matthew
A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced one of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s sons for illegally disposing of an aircraft owned by the country’s airline, a judicial official confirmed.
According to Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo, the judge ruled on Tuesday that Ruslan Obiang Nsue faces a six-year prison term unless he refunds the state for the aircraft. Mitogo disclosed the decision to reporters through a WhatsApp message.
The 50-year-old, who once headed the national airline Ceiba Intercontinental, was found guilty of selling an ATR 72-500 plane to a Spanish company and keeping the proceeds for himself.
He had been under house arrest since 2023 on the orders of his half-brother, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, another son of the long-ruling president.
Mitogo explained that Obiang Nsue could avoid jail time if he reimbursed about $255,000 to the airline in addition to damages and a state fine.
The court cleared him of other charges related to embezzlement and abuse of power.
Before this case, Obiang Nsue also held the position of secretary of state for sports and youth in the oil-producing Central African country, where his 83-year-old father has governed for 46 years.
In a separate matter, his half-brother Obiang Mangue was convicted in France in July 2021 of diverting public money. The French court handed him a suspended sentence and imposed a $35 million fine.
Credit: AFP