From Power to Prison: Baltasar Ebang Engonga Sentenced to 8 Years

Equatorial Guinea’s political elite has been shaken by the dramatic fall of Baltasar Ebang Engonga, better known as “Bello.” Once seen as untouchable, the former senior official has been sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement.

According to court officials in Malabo, the provincial court of Bioko also fined him CFA 125.4 million (about $222,000). He was tried alongside other senior officials accused of diverting public funds through fake travel expenses and mission allowances.

Engonga became infamous long before his conviction. In November 2024, hundreds of sex tapes leaked online while he was in pre-trial detention at the notorious Black Beach prison.

The videos, filmed in offices and private homes, showed him with multiple partners, including the wives of powerful officials. The scandal spread rapidly across Africa, inspiring memes, parody songs, and even a mock award dubbed the “Ballon d’Or 2024.” Social media users nicknamed him the face of an imaginary aphrodisiac called Balthazariem.

Nicknamed “Bello” for his looks and flamboyant lifestyle, Engonga is the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, president of the regional CEMAC Commission.

He rose quickly in Equatorial Guinea’s power circles, first as head of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), later at the Directorate-General of Insurance and Reinsurance. For years, he was considered close to President Teodoro Obiang’s ruling clan, with access to sensitive financial matters that gave him extraordinary influence.

The trial began in June 2025 and attracted wide attention inside and outside Equatorial Guinea. Prosecutors accused Engonga and others of embezzlement, illicit enrichment, and abuse of power.

They initially requested an 18-year sentence and fines exceeding CFA 900 million. Investigators presented evidence, including financial records of diverted funds and more than 400 sex tapes, which prosecutors argued showed a pattern of abuse of office and personal misconduct.

In the end, the court sentenced him to eight years and imposed a fine, a sharp fall for a man once considered untouchable.

For many young Africans, Engonga’s story has become more than just gossip. His downfall is seen as a symbol of the deep gap between political elites, who enjoy power, money, and impunity, and ordinary citizens struggling with unemployment and poverty.

The case of “Bello,” from powerful official to convicted prisoner, is likely to remain one of the most talked-about scandals in African politics.