A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced Ruslan Obiang Nsue, son of long-serving President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to six years in prison for illegally selling a state-owned aircraft.
According to the Supreme Court’s press director, Hilario Mitogo, the judgment delivered on Tuesday requires Obiang Nsue to either serve the prison term or repay the state for the aircraft’s full value.
“The court has ordered him to pay approximately $255,000 to the national carrier Ceiba Intercontinental, along with damages and an additional fine,” Mitogo told reporters via WhatsApp.
How the Scandal Unfolded
Obiang Nsue, 50, a former director of Ceiba Intercontinental, was found guilty of selling an ATR 72-500 aircraft to a Spanish company and pocketing the proceeds.
He was placed under house arrest in 2023 by his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who initiated the investigation.
While the court cleared him of separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of power, the illegal sale of the plane sealed his conviction.
A Family with Global Legal Troubles
This is not the first corruption case linked to the Obiang dynasty. In 2021, a French court handed Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue a suspended sentence and a $35 million fine for embezzling public funds.
Ruslan Obiang Nsue, who also served as Secretary of State for Sports and Youth, is part of the ruling family in the oil-rich Central African nation, where President Obiang, 83, has held power for over four decades, making him the world’s longest-serving leader.
What’s Next?
Unless Obiang Nsue pays the ordered compensation, he will face immediate imprisonment, marking a rare public conviction within Equatorial Guinea’s ruling elite.
