Baltasar Ebang Engonga, the former senior official at Equatorial Guinea’s Directorate General of Insurance and Reinsurance (DGAR), is back in the spotlight—this time for facing multiple corruption charges that could earn him up to 18 years behind bars.
Engonga, who has spent nearly a year in Black Beach Prison following a widely publicised s3xtape scandal, appeared in court on June 30, 2025, to answer for a range of financial crimes linked to massive public fund misappropriation.
Prosecutors allege that Engonga exploited his position at DGAR to orchestrate a vast scheme involving internal accomplices, allowing him to funnel large sums of public funds for personal gain. The charges include embezzlement, which carries 8 8-year imprisonment term; illicit enrichment, 4 years and 5 months; and abuse of office, 6 years and 1 day.
If found guilty on all counts, the 18-year sentence would mark one of the toughest punishments handed down in the country’s ongoing anti-corruption drive.
Engonga is not alone. Six other individuals, said to be part of the network that enabled the scheme, are also standing trial. Among them are: Carmelo Julio Matogo Ndong, Ireneo Mangue Monsuy Afana, Florentina Iganga Iñandji and three other unnamed officials.
According to the prosecution, this group exploited institutional gaps to enrich themselves at the nation’s expense, operating what they described as a “well-structured financial malpractice ring.”
Engonga first made headlines in 2024 after a sex tape involving him circulated online, igniting national and international controversy.
Legal experts believe the case could become a landmark in Equatorial Guinea’s fight against corruption, potentially prompting wider reforms across other state institutions.
