Former Director-General of Equatorial Guinea’s National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF), Baltasar Engonga Ebang, is on trial for alleged financial misconduct.

The trial began Monday, June 30 and it involves several officials of a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Finance.

Ebang came to the limelight in late 2024 after his explicit videos became viral.

The prosecutors are seeking an 18-year prison sentence as well as significant financial penalties.

Ebang is being accused of embezzlement, illicit enrichment, and abuse of power in his role at the agency.

However, the prosecution alleged that Baltasar misappropriated more than one billion CFA francs, approximately 1.67 million US dollars.

The prosecution is demanding eight years of imprisonment for embezzlement, four years and five months for illicit enrichment, and six years and one day for abuse of power. They are also calling for a fine of 910 million CFA francs and a ban on Ebang from holding public office during his sentence.

But the defense rejected all accusations against Ebang as well as other officials implicated in the case, maintaining that the charges were unfounded. (Daily Trust)