Balthazar Engonga Ebang, who used to be the head of Equatorial Guinea’s financial crime agency (ANIF), is now on trial for serious corruption charges. Prosecutors want him to spend 18 years in prison and pay heavy fines.

The case started on Monday, June 30. Ebang and other government workers are accused of being involved in shady deals connected to a company owned by the Ministry of Finance. Prosecutors say Ebang stole more than one billion CFA francs—about $1.67 million—and abused his position in government.

According to the court papers, the prosecutors are asking for Ebang to get:

• 8 years in jail for embezzlement,
• 4 years and 5 months for making illegal money, and
• 6 years and 1 day for misuse of power.

They also want him to pay a fine of 910 million CFA francs and be banned from holding any public office while he serves his sentence.

Ebang’s lawyers have denied all the claims, saying that he and the others on trial did nothing wrong and are being wrongly accused.

This trial comes months after Ebang made headlines in 2024 when private videos of him leaked online, causing a stir on social media. Now, he’s back in the spotlight for this major corruption case, but the final judgment has not yet been made by the court.