By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The government of Equatorial Guinea has fired Baltasar Ebang Engonga as Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) after a series of sex tapes involving him and multiple women surfaced online.

It wrote, according to Real Equatorial Guinea, the dismissal of Mr. Engonga, the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo (current president of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, CEMAC), was formalized in Decree No. 118/2024, dated November 4.

The decree cited Mr. Engonga’s alleged misconduct in office and his family-related and social behavior as incompatible with public office.”

In response to the scandal, the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, Mrs. Obiang, took to Facebook on Wednesday to call for immediate government action to protect the dignity of Equatoguinean women in the digital age.

Her office emphasised that while progress has been made in gender equality, proactive measures are necessary not only to address such incidents but to prevent them. “It is essential to create a safe and respectful environment for all women,” she said.

Prime Minister Osa Nsue also acknowledged the damaging impact of the situation, particularly on the country’s public image and gender equality initiatives.

He highlighted that the government was considering stricter privacy laws in light of the scandal. “The Government of Equatorial Guinea, aware of the impact of social media and the growing presence of private content on digital platforms, is contemplating strengthening laws related to privacy and personal data protection to prevent further violations of citizens’ rights,” said Mr. Nsue.

He added that the case had sparked a broader discussion on the boundaries of privacy in the digital age, urging for a comprehensive approach involving legislation, education, and social awareness to curb the spread of inappropriate online content.

Both the First Lady and Prime Minister expressed a shared commitment to restore public trust in institutions and safeguard the reputation of Equatoguinean women. They discussed potential strategies to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Meanwhile, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue has ordered the country’s telecommunications ministry, regulator, and mobile providers to take action against the viral distribution of pornographic videos.

He stressed that the government cannot allow families to suffer due to the widespread circulation of Engonga’s video.

In a move to curb the spread of inappropriate content, the government imposed restrictions on the sharing of multimedia files over mobile data on platforms like WhatsApp. Local news outlet Ahora EG reported that citizens were frustrated by the new limitations, as they were forced to rely on Wi-Fi connections to share media.

The leak of the tapes is believed to have occurred while Mr. Engonga was incarcerated at Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison for embezzling public funds.

In a related development, Equatorial Guinea’s chief prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, assured the public that if medical tests confirmed Engonga had a sexually transmitted disease, he would be prosecuted for endangering public health.

Further to the ongoing investigation, Vice President Nguema announced that surveillance cameras would be installed in all state agency offices.

He explained that this initiative is part of efforts to ensure compliance with civil service laws, improve accountability, and tackle official misconduct.

“We will not tolerate any actions that tarnish the integrity of our administration,” he said, stressing that individuals involved in misconduct would face strict measures.

Additionally, he introduced a ban on sexual relations in the workplace, warning that any officer caught engaging in such behavior would face immediate dismissal.

“The ministries are solely and exclusively for carrying out administrative tasks in favor of the country’s development. It is forbidden to have sexual relations in offices,” he stated.

Recall TribuneOnline reported earlier that Baltasar Ebang Engonga had an intimate situations with several women, with sex tapes, reportedly over 400 in number some of whom are linked to high-profile figures in the country.

This prompted the government to suspend him initially, and subsequently, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ordered his dismissal. (Tribune, excluding headline)