On Wednesday, August 27, a court in Equatorial Guinea sentenced a top official, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, to eight years in prison for theft.
Engonga also gained popularity for his appearance on a number of sex recordings with the wives of other officials.
According to AFP, Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo told reporters via WhatsApp that Baltasar Ebang Engonga was found guilty by the Bioko provincial tribunal of misappropriating funds purportedly for professional travel expenses for personal use.
Eq. Guinea’s Baltasar Engonga gets 8yr-jail term
In the oil-rich central African state, Engonga, the married former chief of the national financial investigation agency, and five other high-ranking officials were charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of expenses.
Engonga, also known by his nickname “Bello,” made headlines across the world in November when sex tapes—some of which were recorded in his finance ministry office—were posted on social media while he was being held pending the embezzlement case.
A flurry of online parodies, including songs, dances, and articles about a fake virility medicine called “Balthazariem,” were sparked by the clips.
According to Mitogo, Engonga was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined $220,000 by the provincial court.