Equatorial Guinea’s Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), Baltasar Ebang Engonga, is on the spot over an alleged sex scandal.
Engonga has been arrested for allegedly recording more than 400 sex tapes featuring the wives of prominent people in the country.
The scandal surfaced amid an economic fraud probe into the 54-year-old economist. The videos were discovered during a fraud investigation.
The ANIF officials discovered multiple CDs that documented Baltasar Engonga’s sexual relations with prominent women.
It is alleged that these women include his brother’s wife and relatives of the president and a senior police officer.
Engonga’s office was the site of some of the encounters; one scene purportedly showed him having intercourse next to the flag of the country.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage across the country.
Vice President Teodoro Nguema addressed the matter in a statement condemning any inappropriate conduct within government offices.
“Given the abuse that has been shown on social media in Equatorial Guinea in recent days, and remembering that ministries are solely and exclusively for carrying out administrative work in support of the country’s development, sexual relations in offices are prohibited,” Nguema said.
He added that “Control mechanisms are already in place, and anyone who violates this rule again will be subject to disciplinary proceedings for indecent conduct and will be dismissed from their job.”
Attorney General’s Office, led by Anatolio Nzang Nguema, has since opened an investigation into Engonga’s conduct and the circumstances surrounding the leaked footage.
The inquiry will reportedly assess whether any health risks were knowingly posed to others involved in the videos.
Engonga’s responsibilities include directing initiatives to curb financial corruption in the nation and supervising financial investigations.
Although Engonga is charged with corruption, officials have pointed out that consensual sex is not illegal until coercion or violence is demonstrated.
Engonga is the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, the head of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) commission, and a nephew of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, as per The Africa Report.