Equatorial Guinea Shuts Embassy In UK After President’s Son Sanctioned

Equatorial Guinea announced on Monday it was closing its embassy
in London after the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against
Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the vice president and son of the country’s
veteran president, over for allegedly syphoning state assets into
his own bank accounts.

Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono told national TV that he did
not “accept interference” in the central African state’s “domestic
affairs,” and said the sanctions were “breaching the principle of
international law”.

“The first decision that the government has taken is the total
closure of our diplomatic mission in London,” Foreign Minister
Simeon Oyono Esono told state broadcaster TVGE.

He gave no details as to when the decision would take
effect.

Equatorial Guinea on Saturday lashed the sanctions as
“unilateral and illegal”.

“The baseless sanctions imposed by the British government find
their justification in manipulation, in lies… that certain
non-governmental organisations are fomenting against the good image
of Equatorial Guinea,” it said.

The younger Obiang “has not made any investment in the United
Kingdom”, the government added.

This reaction from Equatorial Guinea comes days after British
government decided to freeze Obiang’s assets and bar him entry to
the United Kingdom.

According to British autorities, the president’s son would have
concluded corrupt contracting arrangements and solicited bribes to
support his jet-setting lifestyle.

They claim he has splurged $500 million on mansions around the
world, luxury cars and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia
including a $275,000 crystal-covered glove that the singer wore on
his 1987-89 “Bad” tour.

Allegations that resonate with charges brought against him in
France, where he is accused of money laudering.

The junior Obiang is already entangled in a dispute with France
over a 107-million-euro mansion on Paris’s swanky Avenue Foch that
was seized along with a fleet of luxury cars in a probe into
so-called “ill-gotten gains.”

In February 2020, a French court handed him a three-year
suspended sentence, a 30-million-euro fine and confiscation of his
assets in France.

A final ruling by the Court of Cassation, the paramount tribunal
in France’s judicial system, is expected on Wednesday.

“A step in the right direction”
The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial
Guinea is one of the most enclosed nations on the continent, and
many of its people live in deep poverty despite oil wealth.

Its ruler Obiang, 79, is the world’s longest-serving sitting
president and is frequently accused by rights groups of abuses.

In 1979, he ousted his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema, who had
ruled the country since independence from Spain in 1968, and had
him shot by firing squad.

His son Teodorin, 53, is vice president with responsibility for
defence and security and has long been considered as his likely
successor.

Tutu Alicante, head of EG Justice, a group that campaigns for
human rights in Equatorian Guinea, said the sanctions were, “a step
in the right direction, which shows that corruption is not
victimless crime.”

Most of the country’s 1.4 million citizens have no access to
running water or decent education, said Alicante, who lives in
exile.

The economy has been badly hit since a slump in oil prices in
2014 crimped government revenue.

In its 2020 budget, Equatorial Guinea allocated 95 billion CFA
francs, the equivalent of $170 million to defence spendings,
compared to 59 billion francs to education.

Equatorial Guinea announced on Monday it was closing its embassy
in London after the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against
Teodorin Nguema Obiang, the vice president and son of the country’s
veteran president, over for allegedly syphoning state assets into
his own bank accounts.

Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono told national TV that he did
not “accept interference” in the central African state’s “domestic
affairs,” and said the sanctions were “breaching the principle of
international law”.

“The first decision that the government has taken is the total
closure of our diplomatic mission in London,” Foreign Minister
Simeon Oyono Esono told state broadcaster TVGE.

He gave no details as to when the decision would take
effect.

Equatorial Guinea on Saturday lashed the sanctions as
“unilateral and illegal”.

“The baseless sanctions imposed by the British government find
their justification in manipulation, in lies… that certain
non-governmental organisations are fomenting against the good image
of Equatorial Guinea,” it said.

The younger Obiang “has not made any investment in the United
Kingdom”, the government added.

This reaction from Equatorial Guinea comes days after British
government decided to freeze Obiang’s assets and bar him entry to
the United Kingdom.

According to British autorities, the president’s son would have
concluded corrupt contracting arrangements and solicited bribes to
support his jet-setting lifestyle.

They claim he has splurged $500 million on mansions around the
world, luxury cars and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia
including a $275,000 crystal-covered glove that the singer wore on
his 1987-89 “Bad” tour.

Allegations that resonate with charges brought against him in
France, where he is accused of money laudering.

The junior Obiang is already entangled in a dispute with France
over a 107-million-euro mansion on Paris’s swanky Avenue Foch that
was seized along with a fleet of luxury cars in a probe into
so-called “ill-gotten gains.”

In February 2020, a French court handed him a three-year
suspended sentence, a 30-million-euro fine and confiscation of his
assets in France.

A final ruling by the Court of Cassation, the paramount tribunal
in France’s judicial system, is expected on Wednesday.

“A step in the right direction”
The only Spanish-speaking country in sub-Saharan Africa, Equatorial
Guinea is one of the most enclosed nations on the continent, and
many of its people live in deep poverty despite oil wealth.

Its ruler Obiang, 79, is the world’s longest-serving sitting
president and is frequently accused by rights groups of abuses.

In 1979, he ousted his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema, who had
ruled the country since independence from Spain in 1968, and had
him shot by firing squad.

His son Teodorin, 53, is vice president with responsibility for
defence and security and has long been considered as his likely
successor.

Tutu Alicante, head of EG Justice, a group that campaigns for
human rights in Equatorian Guinea, said the sanctions were, “a step
in the right direction, which shows that corruption is not
victimless crime.”

Most of the country’s 1.4 million citizens have no access to
running water or decent education, said Alicante, who lives in
exile.

The economy has been badly hit since a slump in oil prices in
2014 crimped government revenue.

In its 2020 budget, Equatorial Guinea allocated 95 billion CFA
francs, the equivalent of $170 million to defence spendings,
compared to 59 billion francs to education.