A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a senior government official, to eight years in prison for embezzlement.
The Bioko provincial tribunal found Engonga guilty of diverting funds meant for official travel into his personal account, according to Hilario Mitogo, spokesperson for the Supreme Court. Alongside five other senior officials, the former head of the national financial investigation agency was accused of misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars in the oil-rich Central African nation.
Engonga, popularly known as “Bello,” made global headlines in November 2024 after sex tapes involving him and the wives of other officials surfaced online while he was already in detention. Some of the videos were reportedly filmed inside his finance ministry office, sparking widespread scandal and ridicule. The tapes inspired a wave of online parodies, including satirical songs, dances, and a spoof drug nicknamed “Balthazariem.”
The court not only handed him an eight-year jail term but also imposed a fine of $220,000.
