Baltasar Engonga, the former director-general of  Equatorial Guinea’s National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has been held at Black Beach prison since September 2024, after being charged with embezzlement of public funds along with several other former senior officials. The prosecution on Monday outlined what they described as an elaborate scheme to siphon off public funds for personal use, allegedly orchestrated by Engonga in collusion with other top officials in the Directorate General of Insurance and Reinsurance (DGAR), which he led between 2015 and 2020.

The national prosecutor has requested an exceptionally heavy sentence: 8 years in prison for embezzlement of public funds, 4 years and 5 months for illicit enrichment, and 6 years and 1 day for abuse of office. The charges also carry a proposed fine exceeding 910 million CFA francs (about 1.5 million USD) and a ban on holding public office for the duration of the sentence.

Engonga is not the only official in the dock. Six other former senior civil servants, including Carmelo Julio Matogo Ndong, Ireneo Mangue Monsuy Afana, and Florentina Iganga Iñandji, are also accused of misappropriating funds in what authorities say was a widespread network of financial malpractice.

The trial is scheduled to run for three days, with proceedings continuing this week as defence lawyers present their case. Engonga’s legal team has condemned the charges as politically motivated and challenged the credibility of the evidence presented by prosecutors.