Nicholas Walter
Baltasar Engonga, head of Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigative Agency, has been arrested for allegedly recording more than 400 sexual videos of wives of prominent figures in the country.
The scandal broke during a fraud investigation into the 54-year-old economist, when ANIF officials, acting on a sudden request, raided his home and office, after which several CDs revealing sexual relations with various married women were discovered.The video purportedly shows him meeting with high-ranking officials, including his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of Equatorial Guinea’s president, the wife of the police chief, and about 20 wives of the country’s cabinet ministers.
The footage, discovered in his private office, was allegedly recorded with the women’s consent and was later leaked online, sparking media outrage. According to a report by local media platform Ahora EG, Engonga had been embroiled in a sex scandal unprecedented in Equatorial Guinea’s history since October last year. The former ANIF CEO, known as “Bello”, had sexual relations with several women, some of whom were married, and filmed the intimate encounters.
The report states: “What is most shocking is that some scenes took place in his office, including one where he was seen sleeping with a woman next to the national flag. Faced with this sex scandal, the executive branch declared that the measures were a direct response to acts that had affected the country’s image.”With these new measures, the government wants to establish a clear precedent regarding the behavior expected of civil servants in order to create a more respectful work environment in the public and private administration of Equatorial Guinea. For some days now, on social media, erotic videos have been circulating featuring the current Director of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), “Balthasar Evan Engonga”, popularly known as “Bello”. “Balthasar Evan Engonga is said to have filmed these scenes with the consent of the women themselves, thereby exonerating him from any possible crime of integrity violation. “The videos show him having unprotected sex with several women, including some of Equatorial Guinea’s most ‘diva and influential’ single women, as well as women married to some of the country’s leading men and celebrities. Some scenes take place in hotel rooms, homes and even in the protagonist’s office at the Ministry of Finance,” he added. However, regarding the viral sex tape, the country’s Attorney General, Nzanguema, stressed that while the footage shows that the women involved were not forced to participate, the law does not criminalize consensual sex unless coercion or violence is proven. This highlights the importance of victims reporting situations of violence and sexual assault. Suspicion of corruption issues.
NGUEMA also pointed out that risks are also intended not only for related women, but also for their partners and a wider community, and “the possibility of infectious diseases is further propagated by these sexual interactions.
He also stated that in the case of rape and attacks, the responsibility of the victim’s law felt that people were safe and emphasized the need in the environment to support such cases. In response to development on Monday, the equatorial Guinea decided to take measures, and immediately stopped all civil servants who had sexual relations at the government’s office.
The government stated that this decision was part of the “zero trolance” policy associated with the action, which would risk the perfection of public services.Vice President of the Republic Nguema Mangue pointed out that such actions are a serious violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.
