Prosecutors in Equatorial Guinea are seeking an 18-year prison sentence for Ruslan Obiang Nsue, son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, for selling a plane owned by the national airline. They also demand a fine of 500 million CFA francs ($850,000).
The investigation began in November 2022 after an ATR 72-500 plane from Ceiba Intercontinental, missing since 2018 while in Spain, was reported lost. Nsue, a former deputy managing director of the airline, confessed in court to contracting a Spanish firm for the sale but claimed he received only 125,000 euros ($138,000) of the 250,000 euros promised.
Arrested in January 2023 and placed under house arrest, the 49-year-old, also a former secretary of state for sports, faces charges of abuse of office, misuse of public assets, and embezzlement. The trial has been suspended, with no date set for a judgment.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 82, has ruled the small West African nation for over 45 years. His eldest son, Vice President Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, received a three-year suspended jail sentence and a 30 million euro fine from a French court in 2021 for misappropriating public funds.