Balthazar Engonga
By Victory Oghene
Balthazar Engonga remember him? The former boss of the Equatorial Guinea anti-graft agency has been discharged and acquitted over his involvement in a sex scandal.
According to a news outlet, GhanaWeb, the court dismissed all charges filed against Balthazar Engonga who was the Director General of National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), in Equatorial Guinea citing lack of evidence and confirming that all individuals involved in the intimate videos were consenting adults.
The court emphasized that medical tests proved he had not transmitted any sexually transmitted diseases to those involved, further affirming his innocence.
GhanaWeb reports that a surprising development emerged as several married men whose wives appeared in the videos expressed gratitude to Mr. Engonga.
They revealed that the videos exposed hidden aspects of their married lives, leading some to pursue divorce.
NATIONAL WAVES had reported how Baltasar was enmeshed in a series of tapes making the rounds online having romantic affairs with his brother’s wife, the wife of the vice president, wife of the inspector general of police, amongst others.
Mr. Engonga announced plans to take legal action against individuals responsible for leaking the videos. He described the dissemination as a grave violation of his privacy, highlighting the emotional distress it caused his family, particularly his wife.
On October 25, Mr. Engonga was detained over allegations of embezzling substantial state funds and hiding them in offshore accounts. He has not publicly addressed these accusations.
Following his arrest, Mr. Engonga was imprisoned in Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison, known for allegations of severe mistreatment of government opponents.
Authorities seized his phones and computers during the investigation. Shortly after, the intimate videos began appearing online, adding a sensational dimension to an already complex case.
The government said in a statement that, “According to Real Equatorial Guinea, the dismissal of Mr. Engonga, the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo (current president of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, CEMAC), was formalised in Decree No. 118/2024, dated November 4
“The decree cited Mr. Engonga’s alleged misconduct in office and his family-related and social behavior as incompatible with public office.”
Reacting to the scandal, the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, Mrs. Obiang, took to Facebook on Wednesday to call for immediate government action to protect the dignity of Equatoguinean women in the digital age.
She stated that while progress has been made in gender equality, proactive measures were necessary, not only to address such incidents but to prevent them.
It is essential to create a safe and respectful environment for all women,” she said.
Similarly, Prime Minister Osa Nsue also acknowledged the damaging impact of the situation, particularly on the country’s public image and gender equality initiatives.
“The Government of Equatorial Guinea, aware of the impact of social media and the growing presence of private content on digital platforms, is contemplating strengthening laws related to privacy and personal data protection to prevent further violations of citizens’ rights,” Nsue said.
He added that the case had sparked a broader discussion on the boundaries of privacy in the digital age, urging for a comprehensive approach involving legislation, education, and social awareness to curb the spread of inappropriate online content.
The country’s Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue has ordered the country’s telecommunications ministry, regulator, and mobile providers to take action against the viral distribution of pornographic videos.
He expressed that families should not be allowed to suffer due to the circulation of Engonga’s videos.
Recalls that the government also imposed restrictions on the sharing of multimedia files over mobile data on platforms like WhatsApp.
Local news outlet Ahora EG, however, reported that citizens were frustrated by the new limitations, as they were forced to rely on Wi-Fi connections to share media.
Baltasar’s videos were believed to have been released while he was detained at Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison for embezzling public funds.
Equatorial Guinea’s chief prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema has assured that if medical tests confirmed that Engonga had a sexually transmitted disease, he would be prosecuted for endangering public health.
