MALABO, Equatorial Guinea — A court in Equatorial Guinea has convicted Ruslan Obiang Nsue, a son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, for illegally selling an aircraft belonging to the country’s national airline, a court official confirmed on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Obiang Nsue, 50, a former director of state-owned carrier Ceiba Intercontinental, was found guilty of selling an ATR 72-500 aircraft to a Spanish company and pocketing the proceeds.
Hilario Mitogo, press director at the Supreme Court, said in a message to reporters that the ruling ordered him to serve six years in prison unless he repays the state.
“The court ruled that Obiang Nsue could avoid jail if he paid around $255,000 to the airline, in addition to damages and a state fine,” Mitogo said.
The court acquitted him of separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.
Obiang Nsue, who has previously held government positions including secretary of state for sports and youth, had been under house arrest since 2023 after his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, ordered his detention.
The case has drawn attention both for its rarity and its political sensitivity in the oil-rich Central African country, where President Obiang has ruled for 46 years, making him the world’s longest-serving head of state.
