The Government of Equatorial Guinea has launched a lawsuit against Baltasar Engonga, the former Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), for alleged misconduct related to a scandal involving leaked sex tapes.
Engonga was removed from his position as finance chief following the emergence of over 400 intimate tapes online, which feature him with the wives of prominent figures, including his brother’s spouse.
Vice-President Teodoro Mangue declared on Tuesday that any official found engaging in sexual acts at work would face penalties, labeling such behavior as a “flagrant violation of the code of conduct.”
Jerónimo Osa Osa, the Minister of Information, Press, and Culture, spoke on behalf of the government, asserting that the actions of the former anti-corruption agency chief “violate the ethical and moral values of our esteemed Equatorial Guinean society.”
In a public address reported by the local media outlet Ahora EG, Osa revealed that the Equatorial Guinean government, through the State Attorney General’s Office, would conduct a comprehensive investigation into Engonga’s scandal.
“This decision comes after several videos went viral in which Engonga is seen having sexual relations with multiple women, some of whom are married,” Ahora EG.
The government had reacted on Friday in an official statement, condemning these acts as “violations of the ethical and moral values of noble Equatorial Guinean society.”
The government consequently announced the initiation of legal proceedings against Engonga and his accomplices through the Public Prosecutor’s Office, aiming to hold them accountable before the law.
“In light of these serious events, which severely undermine family and social cohesion, and considering the negative impact that this situation has on the good image of our country, tarnishing its reputation, the government, through the Public Prosecutor’s Office, has commenced a thorough investigation to establish responsibilities at the administrative, civil, and criminal levels, given the possibility of a public health impact,” the government spokesperson said.
They also announced various measures, such as the distinction between personal and private spheres, prior consent (explicit or implicit), violations of privacy, damage to individuals’ honour and prestige, and the rights of those harmed by these events, including the state itself.
Engonga’s sexual scandal surfaced while he was convicted during a fraud investigation resulting in an impromptu search of his house and office by ANIF officials,
The footages of the sex tapes were discovered in his personal office, which were said to have been recorded with the consents of the women and have since leaked online, causing a public outcry.
