Nephew of Equatorial Guinea’s president filmed hundreds of sex tapes with wives of top officials

A sex scandal involving key government figures has caused chaos in one tiny nation - and the details are truly unbelievable.

A tiny energy superpower has been rocked by a sex tape scandal involving the president’s nephew and some of the country’s most prominent women, including the wives and relatives of top government officials.

Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the head of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency and nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, was taken into custody on October 25 as part of a corruption investigation.

The 54-year-old was arrested on charges of embezzling public funds and allegedly depositing the money in secret Cayman Islands bank accounts.

Mr Engonga was detained in Malabo’s infamous Black Beach prison when dozens of videos began flood social media of the civil servant — known as “Bello” for his good looks — having sex with numerous women, sparking uproar and titillation in the Central African nation of 1.7 million people.

Baltasar Ebang Engonga. Picture: Facebook

The videos were reportedly discovered after phones and computers were seized from Mr Engonga’s personal office by corruption officials.

The women, who allegedly consented to being filmed, included his brother’s wife, the president’s cousin and sister, the police chief’s wife and the spouses of more than 20 government ministers.

Others included some of the most “diva and influential” single women in the country, according to local news site Ahora EG, which first reported on the scandal.

Some of the videos were filmed in Mr Engonga’s office, with one showing him having sex next to the country’s flag. Others took place in hotel rooms and houses.

Equatorial Guinea’s government rushed to stop the viral spread of the X-rated videos, which are estimated to number anywhere from 150 to 400, across platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.

El Ministerio de Transportes y Nuevas Tecnologías, las empresas de telefonía, Gitge y Ortel tienen 24 horas para presentarme una propuesta para frenar la difusión de videos de índole pornográfico que desde hace dias están inundando las redes sociales del Guinea Ecuatorial. Se…

— teddy nguema (@teonguema) October 30, 2024

Announcing the internet crackdown, Vice President Teodoro “Teodorín” Obiang Nguema Mangue said the married women were “participating and recording themselves in acts that are degrading their reputation and dignity”.

“In our position as government, we cannot continue to watch families fall apart without taking any action,” he posted on X. “In the meantime, the origin of these publications is being investigated to find the author or authors and make them answer for their actions.”

The Vice President also announced measures to prevent government officials from engaging in illicit sexual acts at work, including the installation of new security cameras.

“Given the abuse that has been shown on social media in Equatorial Guinea in recent days, and remembering that ministries are solely and exclusively for carrying out administrative work in support of the country’s development, sexual relations in offices are prohibited,” he wrote.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Picture: Samuel Obiang/AFP

“We will proceed with the immediate suspension of all officials who have had sexual relations in the offices of the country’s ministries. The government will crack down on these acts, as they constitute a flagrant violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.”

Internet traffic, particularly the downloading of images, has been heavily disrupted in the country as the government tries to curb the spread of the videos, AFP reports.

But that has not stopped the flood of memes and reactions on social media, including from celebrities such as Nigerian singer Davido and French rapper Kaaris, according to DW, with some users even suggesting Mr Engonga deserved a prize on par with football’s Ballon d’Or for his performance.

Mr Engonga has not been charged over any of the conduct depicted in the videos as no coercion or violence has been alleged as yet.

But Equatorial Guinea’s Attorney-General Anatolio Nzang Nguema called on any victims of sexual abuse to come forward, noting the dangers to public health of such frequent sexual encounters.

“The possibility of a contagious disease being spread through these sexual interactions makes the situation even more critical,” he told state broadcaster TVGE.

The chief prosecutor said that if medical examinations found Mr Engonga to be “infected with a sexually transmitted disease” he could be prosecuted for an offence against “public health”.

Equatorial Guinea is an oil-rich nation in Central Africa. Picture: Google Earth

A woman claiming to be one of Mr Engonga’s partners told TVGE she had “given her consent” to be filmed but she thought the images had been “immediately erased” and that she felt “humiliated”.

While the headlines have focused on the sex tapes, many observers believe the scandal is part of a larger power play over who will become Equatorial Guinea’s next president.

Mr Engonga had been widely viewed as a contender for the top job.

The economist is the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, the current president of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community Commission (CEMAC).

“He’s one of the country’s most powerful men, entrusted by the family with control over finances and tax administration,” an insider told Ahora EG.

Mr Obiang is the world’s longest-serving president, having been in power since 1979 after overthrowing his uncle in a military coup.

The 82-year-old has overseen an economic boom in the country since the discovery of massive oil reserves in the mid-1990s, which has mostly benefited a tiny, ultra-wealthy elite with the President’s family at the centre.

Mr Nguema’s luxury cars seized by Geneva prosecutors in 2019. Picture: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

Mr Nguema, the Vice President, is Mr Obiang’s son and has control over the country’s security services.

He began looking into Mr Engonga’s alleged embezzlement of public funds in October, and it’s speculated Mr Nguema viewed it as his chance to bring down his rival.

“Teodorín could be seizing the opportunity to eliminate this threat,” one source told The Africa Report.

Equatorial Guinea, while nominally a multiparty constitutional republic, has been heavily criticised for its human rights record and lack of genuine political opposition or free and fair elections.

The most recent elections in 2022 saw Mr Obiang win 97 per cent of the vote.

A 2022 US government report found there were credible reports of arbitrary killings and torture, arrests and surveillance of political opposition, restrictions on free expression and media and interference with freedom of association and organisation.

Mr Nguema himself has repeatedly been accused of corruption and embezzlement by western governments.

In 2021 he was sanctioned by the UK for allegedly misappropriating millions of dollars to “fund a lavish lifestyle inconsistent with his official salary as a government minister”, with purchases including mansions, private jets and other items.

In 2012 the US Department of Justice alleged Mr Nguema had spent $US315 million ($484 million) on properties and luxury goods between 2004 and 2011, including $US275,000 ($423,000) on the crystal glove worn by pop star Michael Jackson during his 1987-89 “Bad” tour.

He was convicted of corruption in France in 2017, with a court ordering the seizure of assets including a €107 million ($174 million) mansion near the Champs-Élysées.

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