The Bioko Provincial Tribunal delivered the ruling on Tuesday, 26 August, finding Engonga and five other senior government officials guilty of diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the public treasury in the oil-rich Central African state.
In addition to embezzlement, Engonga faced charges of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds.
He was ordered to pay a fine of $220,000. According to reports, the court also convicted Ireneo Mangue Monsuy Afana, Rubén Félix Osá Nzang, and Baltasar Ebang Engonga Alúâ€"former directors general in the finance ministryâ€"sentencing each to eight years in prison and imposing heavy fines.
Other government officials, including Rolando Asumu Ndong Oyé, Carmelo Julio Motogo Ndong, and Florentina Ngangá Iñandji, were found guilty as accomplices. They each received three-year prison terms and fines ranging between 16 million and 31 million CFA francs.
Engonga had already been suspended from his post in 2024 after a sex scandal in which hundreds of explicit videos leaked online, allegedly involving him with over 400 womenâ€"many of them connected to influential families in the country. The videos, some reportedly filmed in his office, went viral and caused widespread outrage.
Nicknamed 'Bello' for his good looks, Engonga was arrested in October 2024 amid accusations of siphoning large sums from the state treasury and concealing the money in offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands. Despite the allegations, he has not publicly commented on the charges.
Rania Umutoni
