MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (BN24) — A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Ruslan Obiang Nsue, the son of long-serving President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to six years in prison for the unauthorized sale of a state-owned aircraft belonging to the national carrier, Ceiba Intercontinental.
The ruling, handed down Tuesday, August 26, follows a months-long investigation into the disappearance of a Ceiba ATR 72-500 aircraft, which was later traced to a private Spanish company. According to Hilario Mitogo, director of press at the Supreme Court, Obiang Nsue, 50, was convicted of fraudulently selling the plane and keeping the proceeds for personal gain.
The court ruled that Obiang Nsue must reimburse the national airline approximately $255,000 or face full imprisonment. Additional penalties include damages and a state-imposed fine. However, he was acquitted of separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.
The verdict marks one of the most high-profile corruption cases in Equatorial Guinea’s recent history, involving the immediate family of the president, who has ruled the oil-rich Central African nation since 1979. Obiang Nsue, a former director of Ceiba Intercontinental and previously secretary of state for sports and youth, had been under house arrest since 2023. The arrest order came from his half-brother, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who has himself been the subject of international legal scrutiny.
In 2012, Vice President Obiang Mangue was convicted by a French court for embezzling public funds, receiving a suspended prison sentence and a $35 million fine. That case, involving luxury real estate and high-end vehicles, drew global attention to the Obiang family’s vast wealth and longstanding allegations of corruption.
The latest conviction adds to a complex legacy of governance in Equatorial Guinea, where the ruling family has faced repeated criticism for lack of transparency and misuse of public resources. While critics question whether the ruling signals meaningful accountability, it underscores internal rifts and a potential shift in how corruption cases involving top officials are addressed.
