Equatorial Guinea President’s Nephew, Baltasar Engonga, Jailed for 8 Years Over Embezzlement Scandal
- Former ANIF boss, Baltasar Engonga, has been handed an eight-year jail term for embezzling state funds
- The top Equatorial Guinea official was also imposed a $220,000 fine after the trial ended on August 27, 2025
- Many people took to social media to share their views on the case and how he would handle his time behind bars
Baltasar Engonga, the former head of Agencia Nacional de Investigación Financiera de Guinea Ecuatorial (ANIF), has been handed an eight-year jail term after the trial for his embezzlement case started in July 2025.
Source: Instagram
Equatorial Guinea court jails Baltasar Engonga, others
A senior government official in Equatorial Guinea, Engonga, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement, just months after he gained global notoriety when an unauthorised release of his affairs involving him and other officials’ wives surfaced online.
The Bioko provincial tribunal found him guilty of diverting public funds claimed as professional travel expenses for personal use, as confirmed by Supreme Court press director, Hilario Mitogo, in a message to reporters.
Engonga, nicknamed Bello, previously served as the head of the national financial investigation agency.
He was charged alongside five other senior officials over the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the oil-rich nation.
The scandal drew international attention in November 2024 when explicit personal videos of Engonga, some filmed inside his finance ministry office, were circulated widely on social media while he was already in detention.
The videos triggered several fake social media accounts impersonating him, memes, and even spoof songs referencing a fictional virility substance dubbed 'Balthazariem'.
The provincial court in the country has sentenced him to eight years in prison and imposed a fine of $220,000.
Reactions to Baltasar Engonga receiving jail sentence
Many people took to social media to share their views on Baltasar's jail term and his case with the government of Equatorial Guinea.
The opinions of social media users are below:
@Sarqi__ said:
"Baltasar Engonga Season 2: The lockdown of the legend. Coming soon."
@MOHBX_ said:
"I still got those 400 videos I end up watching them every now and then when the mood hits 😭😭😭😭😭."
@pro_analog said:
"8 years for embezzlement, not for the tapes. He slept with adults who knew what they were doing."
@_THE_CRAFT3R_ said:
"Which one is businessman again? He was having a political office while kwaffing people's wives na. Call him a former statesman, but you can't call him a businessman. What was he business-ing?"
@lamemzy said:
"They better not put the female guards around him😂🤣."
@i_linkit said:
"Well deserved...I have been hoping to see him serving."
Source: Twitter
Fake Baltasar account woos Serwaa Amihere
YEN.com.gh previously reported that GHOne TV has issued a warning to a fake social media account impersonating Baltasar Engonga after it dropped a comment about Serwaa Amihere and tried to woo her.
The TV station, through its Facebook page, cautioned the impostor to be mindful of their remarks, with the exchange leaving netizens in stitches as they flooded the comments with jokes and opinions.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
