The Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency in Equatorial Guinea, Baltasar Engonga, has been arrested for allegedly recording over 400 sex tapes of the wives of notable people in the country.
The scandal emerged in the course of a fraud investigation against the 54-year-old Economist which resulted in the search of his house and office by officials who came across several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with different married women.
The videos reportedly include encounters with high-profile individuals, such as his brother's wife, his cousin, the sister of the President of Equatorial Guinea, the Inspector General of Police's wife, and about 20 of the country's ministers' wives.
The footage, discovered in his personal office, was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing a media uproar.
In a report by a local media platform, Ahora EG, since last October, Engonga has been involved in a sexual scandal unprecedented in the history of Equatorial Guinea.
However, speaking on the viral sex tapes, the Attorney General of the country, Nzang Nguema, has stressed that, although the images suggest that the women involved were not forced to participate, the law does not consider consensual sexual relations to be a crime, unless coercion or violence is proven. This highlights the importance of victims reporting situations of sexual abuse or assault.
Nguema also emphasised that the risk is not only for the women involved but also for their partners and the wider community, adding, "The possibility of a contagious disease being spread through these sexual interactions makes the situation even more critical.
He further pointed out that the onus is on victims to come forward in cases of rape or assault, highlighting the need for an environment where people feel safe and supported to report such incidents.
Reacting to the development on Monday, Equatorial Guinea has decided to take action by immediately suspending all officials who have had sexual relations in the offices of the country's ministries.
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The government claimed that the decision was part of its "zero tolerance" policy towards behaviour that compromises the integrity of the public service.
The Vice President of the Republic, Nguema Mangue, has pointed out that these behaviours constitute a flagrant violation of the Code of Conduct and the Public Ethics Law.
In his publication on X, he emphasized that "ethics and respect are fundamental in our Administration," and that irresponsible attitudes that put citizen trust at risk will not be allowed.
