Sibling Power Rivalry? Half-Brother Ordered 2023 Arrest

Ruslan Obiang Nsue, the son of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who is the President of Equatorial Guinea, was convicted of illegally selling an aircraft owned by the state airline Ceiba Intercontinental. Nsue’s arrest in 2023 was ordered by his half-brother Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is the Vice president of Equatorial Guinea.

Nsue is a former director of Ceiba Intercontinental, and he was convicted of selling an ATR 72-500 to a Spanish company without the approval of the airline’s board of directors and pocketing the cash.

Vice President Mangue personally ordered the arrest of Nsue and expressed indignation over his half-brother’s unauthorized sale of the aircraft. Nsue was initially placed under house arrest and then transferred to judicial custody on the order of his half-brother.

In a release to media outlets, the country’s Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo said after the conviction, the court ordered Nsue to either compensate the state for the aircraft or spend the next six years in jail for the offense.

Mitogo also noted that Nsue could avoid jail by paying approximately $255,000 to the airline plus damages and a fine to the state. Nsue was acquitted on separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.

Nsue and Vice President Mangue are sons of President Obiang, the world’s longest-serving head of state who has been in power for 46 years after he seized power from his uncle in a 1979 military coup.

Nsue has also served as the Secretary of State for Sports and Youth in Equatorial Guinea, an oil-rich central African nation.

In a separate but related case dating to 2021, a French court handed down a suspended prison sentence and a $35 million fine for Obiang Mangue following his conviction for embezzling public funds.

The two sons of President Obiang have been controversial figures in the country, with many speculating that the Vice President influenced his half-brother to position himself better to succeed the 83-year-old Obiang.

FMI:  ceibaintercontinentalairlines.com/