A son of Equatorial Guinea’s long-serving president has been convicted of illegally selling a plane that belonged to the country’s national airline, according to court officials.
Ruslan Obiang Nsue, 50, a former director of Ceiba Intercontinental, the national carrier, was found guilty of selling an ATR 72-500 aircraft to a company in Spain and keeping the proceeds.
The verdict was delivered by the country’s Supreme Court.
Speaking to reporters via WhatsApp, Hilario Mitogo, director of press for the Supreme Court, said Obiang Nsue faces a six-year prison sentence unless he reimburses the state.
To avoid jail time, the court ordered him to repay approximately $255,000 to Ceiba Intercontinental and also cover additional fines and damages to the government.
Obiang Nsue, who has also held the role of secretary of state for sports and youth, was placed under house arrest in 2023 by his half-brother, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the country’s vice-president and another son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the oil-rich Central African nation for over four decades.
Though found guilty of illegally selling the aircraft, Obiang Nsue was acquitted of separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.
This case is the latest in a series of corruption scandals involving members of the presidential family.
Notably, in 2021, a French court convicted Obiang Mangue of embezzling public funds, handing him a suspended sentence and ordering him to pay a $35 million fine.
