A court in Equatorial Guinea sentenced Ruslan Obiang Nsue, son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to six years imprisonment for unlawfully selling a government-owned plane.
The ruling was delivered on Tuesday, stirring attention across the central African nation.
Ruslan Obiang Nsue, who once headed the country’s flag carrier, Ceiba Intercontinental, was found guilty of offloading an ATR 72-500 aircraft to a Spanish company and keeping the proceeds, according to Hilario Mitogo, spokesperson for the Supreme Court. The transaction, carried out without authorization, initiated the legal proceedings that culminated in this verdict.
Currently 50 years old, Obiang Nsue faces jail time but may avoid incarceration if he reimburses nearly $255,000 to the airline. Additionally, he must compensate the government through penalties and damages as ordered by the judiciary. The court acquitted him of separate accusations relating to embezzlement and misuse of office authority.
The defendant’s troubles began in 2023 when his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, placed him under house arrest pending investigation. This family connection adds complexity to the already delicate political landscape in the oil-rich state, which has been under President Obiang’s rule for over four decades.
Aside from his management role at Ceiba Intercontinental, Ruslan has also held the position of secretary of state for sports and youth affairs.
In a related judicial development overseas, Obiang Nsue’s half-brother was convicted in France in 2021 for misappropriating public funds. He was handed a suspended jail term alongside a hefty $35 million fine, an episode that casts a long shadow over Equatorial Guinea’s ruling family.
The court’s decision marks an impartial moment in Equatorial Guinea’s efforts to enforce accountability among powerful figures.
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