Leak of “sex tapes” on social networks agitates Equatorial Guinea

The viral distribution on social networks of several videos showing a senior official engaged in sexual activity in his office is agitating Equatorial Guinea, pushing the authorities to reduce Internet traffic and announce possible sanctions. In the “sex tapes”, we recognize the director of the National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, with various partners, including wives of dignitaries, in his office at the Ministry of Finance.

The country’s vice-president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, announced Monday, November 4 on his X account that the government would “proceed with the immediate suspension of all civil servants who had sexual relations in ministry offices, as this constitutes a flagrant violation of the code of conduct and the public ethics law”.

This is not the first time that “sex tapes” involving civil servants have leaked on social networks, but the affair has taken on an unprecedented scale due to the notoriety of the protagonists.

More than 400 videos

Last week, Mr. Obiang had already announced on “given 24 hours to the Ministry of Telecommunications and New Technologies, telephone companies and telecommunications regulatory body, to find a measure aimed at curbing the dissemination of pornographic videos which are flooding the social networks of Equatorial Guinea”.

“This is about married women participating and recording themselves in acts that degrade their reputation and dignity, as a government we cannot continue to see families destroyed”declared the vice-president in charge of defense and security.

According to information spread by WhatsApp groups then relayed on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or X, there are more than 400 pornographic videos filmed by Baltasar Ebang Engonga in his office.

Nicknamed “Bello” because of his attractive physique, this married man, father of a family, is the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo’o, the current president of the commission of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. He is related to the President of the Republic, Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Fear of the spread of disease

The “sex tapes” were leaked on social networks while he was placed in preventive detention at Black Beach prison in Malabo, the country’s capital, in a case of embezzlement of public funds, according to state television TVGE. The period in which the videos were filmed is not known.

The Attorney General of the Republic, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, assured TVGE that if medical examinations revealed that he was “infected with a sexually transmitted disease”he would be prosecuted for an offense against “public health”.

With the measures taken by the authorities to curb the sharing of “sex tapes”, Internet flow, particularly the downloading of images, is seriously disrupted in the country, according to testimonies collected by Agence France-Presse.

According to information circulating on social networks, the broadcast of other videos involving other protagonists, men and women, could take place in the coming days.