By Obinna Uballa
A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former head of the country’s financial investigation agency, to eight years in prison for embezzlement.
This latest development is coming months after he made global headlines over leaked sex tapes involving him and other officials’ wives.
The Bioko Provincial Tribunal found Engonga guilty of diverting funds meant for official travel allowances for personal use, Hilario Mitogo, director of press at the Supreme Court, said in a WhatsApp message to reporters.
Recall that Engonga, popularly known as “Bello,” and five other senior officials were accused of misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars in the oil-rich Central African nation.
The New Diplomat recalls that the disgraced official shot to infamy in November when explicit videos, some recorded in his finance ministry office, surfaced online while he was in detention over the corruption case.
The clips sparked global flurry of parodies on social media, including songs, dance challenges, and jokes about a spoof virility pill called “Balthazariem.”
The court also imposed a $220,000 fine on Engonga.
