Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue (born 25 June 1968, nicknamed Teodorín and Teddy) is an Equatoguinean politician who has served as the first

vice president of Equatorial Guinea The vice president of Equatorial Guinea () is the second highest political position obtainable in Equatorial Guinea. Following the 2011 constitutional reform, there is a provision for two vice presidents who are appointed by the president of E ...

since 2016. He is a son of

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician, former military officer and dictator who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since 1982. Previously, he was the Chairman of the Supreme Mi ...

, president of

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

, by his wife,

Constancia Mangue Constancia Mangue Nsue Okomo (born 20 August 1952), also known as Constancia Mangue de Obiang, is the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea. She is the wife of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and mother of First Vice President Teodoro Nguema ...

. Nguema rules Equitorial Guinea as a

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

. He has been appointed to numerous government positions by his father's regime, including Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and Second Vice-President, in charge of defense and security, in May 2012. He was promoted to the position of First Vice-President in June 2016 and Ministry of National Defense and Security in 2018, and leads the country's anti-corruption commission set up in May 2022, known as the CNPCC (Comisión Nacional de Prevención y Lucha Contra la Corrupción). As head of the anti-corruption commission, he has overseen purges against perceived opponents of the Nguema regime. Known for his lavish lifestyle, he has been the subject of a number of international criminal charges and sanctions for alleged

embezzlement Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

and

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

. His net worth is an estimated $600 million including his yacht, private jets, and luxury cars. The Nguema family has enriched itself on Equitorial Guinea's substantial oil wealth.

Education

Nguema studied at the École des Roches in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, a French private school. He registered to attend

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private university, private Christianity, Christian research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pepperdine's main campus consists ...

in Malibu,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, for a four-term non-degree program in English as a second language. He lived lavishly at the

Beverly Wilshire Hotel The Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, commonly known as the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, is a historic luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive, it was completed in 1928. It ha ...

and rarely attended class; he dropped out after only five months, reportedly at the behest of university administrators.

Political career and international corruption cases

Nguema served as Adviser to the Presidency in the 1990s and subsequently as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, a post he held for about fifteen years."Guinée équatoriale : le président Obiang promeut son fils Teodorìn premier vice-président"
''Jeune Afrique'', 23 June 2016
Archive
. It was reported in 2005 that Nguema was to be made

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

of Equatorial Guinea, which, according to the constitution, would allow him to accede to the presidency upon his father's retirement. He was eventually elevated to the post of Second Vice-President, in charge of defense and security, on 21 May 2012, alongside former

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Ignacio Milam Tang Ignacio Milam Tang (born 20 June 1940
.) is an

April 2016 presidential election, placed him clearly in line to succeed his father.

Spending and controversies

Presidential palace in malabo equatorial guinea

As Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Nguema was paid €3,200 a month. ''The New York Times'' reported in 2004 that Nguema was "a rap music entrepreneur and bon vivant, fond of Lamborghinis and long trips to Hollywood and Rio de Janeiro". Superyacht '' Tatoosh'' was hired for £400,000 by him for a Christmas cruise on which he entertained rap singer

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

. Nguema drew criticism from the international media for spending close to R10,000,000 over a weekend in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

on champagne, property renovations, a black 2004

Bentley Arnage The Bentley Arnage is a full-size luxury car manufactured by Bentley Motors in Crewe, England, from 1998 to 2009. The Arnage and its Rolls-Royce-branded sibling, the Silver Seraph, were introduced in the spring of 1998. They were the first e ...

, a cream 2003

Bentley Continental R The Bentley Continental R is a luxury coupé manufactured by British automobile manufacturer Bentley Motors from 1991 to 2003. It was the first Bentley to feature a body not shared with a Rolls-Royce model since the 1965 S3 Continental and ...

from MG Rover

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and a 2005

Lamborghini Murcielago Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its s ...

, although some assets may soon be forcibly auctioned due to his failure to pay a South African businessman. American law enforcement officials believe that most or perhaps all of his wealth comes from corruption connected to oil and gas reserves in Equatorial Guinea. Nguema's foreign interests include two houses in South Africa, worth a combined R50,000,000, a $31,000,000 compound in Malibu, California, US, a home on

Avenue Foch The Avenue Foch () is an avenue in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, named after World War I Marshal Ferdinand Foch in 1929. It was previously known as the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne. It is one of the most prestigious streets in Paris, a ...

in the affluent

16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (; ) is the westernmost of the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. Located on the city's Right Bank, it is adjacent to the 17th and 8th arrondissements to the northeast, as well as to the ...

, and the

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

TNO Entertainment. In 2008 he owned one of the 30 models of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 sports car (estimated at

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

1,100,000) and a Maserati MC 12 at €700,000.David Servenay
Transparency porte plainte pour saisir la Ferrari d'Omar Bongo
''

Rue 89 Rue89 is a French news website started by former journalists from the newspaper ''Libération''. It was officially launched on 6 May 2007, on the day of the second round of the French presidential election. Its news editor is Pascal Riché, for ...

'', 15 July 2008
Archive
He went on to purchase another Bugatti Veyron, and tried to purchase a third. In late 2011, both Veyrons, as well as nine other cars he owned, were seized by French police investigating

. In July 2013, the confiscated goods were sold at auction. On 19 January 2013, Nguema's father, Teodoro Obiang, arrested Roberto Berardi, an Italian building contractor, active for 20 years in Africa. After working in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, Berardi had formed a construction company with him, but discovered some strange operations on the current account and asked for an explanation. A few hours later, the Italian contractor was arrested on charges of fraud and embezzlement. Berardi was fined 1.2 million euros and jailed. No charges were brought from Italy against Obiang. Berardi was released on 9 July 2015 after more than two years of detention. On 18 October 2016,

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

prosecutors opened an investigation on Nguema after he landed eight times in Geneva. French authorities had asked them for

judicial assistance Judicial Assistance is the admittance and enforcement of a judicial order or request by a court from one jurisdiction to a court in another jurisdiction. Such admittance sometimes requires a treaty between the governments of the two jurisdictions. ...

. He eventually reached an accommodation with the Swiss, letting them sell his seized luxury cars, valued at 18.5 million Swiss francs, and the payment of 1.3 million Swiss francs. On 27 September 2019, in an auction organised by British auctioneers

Bonhams Bonhams is a privately owned international auction house and one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. It was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. This brought t ...

, 25 luxury cars were sold for 23.4m Swiss francs. On 14 September 2018, Nguema flew on an official plane to Brazil with other 9 passengers and had some of their 19 bags searched by the Brazilian border police in Viracopos-Campinas International Airport. They found approximately US$1.4 million in cash and 20 watches with estimated value of US$15 million.

Embezzlement charges

In October 2011, seven years after the

United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), stood up in March 1941 as the "Truman Committee," is the oldest subcommittee of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (formerly the Committee on Govern ...

exposed the Nguema's family secret accounts at

Riggs Bank Riggs Bank was a bank headquartered in Washington, D.C. For most of its history, it was the largest bank headquartered in that city. On May 13, 2005, after the exposure of several money laundering scandals, the bank was acquired by PNC Financia ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and five years after non-profit

Global Witness Global Witness is an international NGO that investigates environmental and human rights abuses. The organisation campaigns for greater representation of people affected by the climate crisis in climate decision-making. They have offices in Lon ...

discovered his mansion purchase in Malibu; the

US Justice Department The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

went to court to seize $70 million ( £44m) of his US assets, which include a

Gulfstream The Gulf Stream is a warm Atlantic Ocean current. Gulf Stream or Gulfstream may also refer to: Businesses *Gulf Stream Hotel, an historic hotel in Lake Worth Beach, Florida *Gulfstream Aerospace, manufacturer of private jet aircraft *Gulfstream C ...

jet, yachts, cars and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

memorabilia. On 11 June 2012, the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) filed an amended complaint against Nguema, after a judge requested more evidence of the alleged corruption. The revised complaint states that he spent $315 million on properties and luxury goods between 2004 and 2011. According to the foreign complaint, he, while Minister of Forestry, levied personal "taxes" against local and foreign timber companies for licenses to operate and export timber, such as a $28.80 tax for every log exported, to fund his lavish lifestyle. The foreign prosecutors state that his expenditures "were inconsistent with both his known salary of less than $100,000 per year, and the income he purportedly generated from his companies." In October 2014, he reached a settlement with the United States Department of Justice to pay the U.S. DoJ some of the funds held at accounts on his behalf, as well as his Malibu home, a Ferrari, and portions of his Michael Jackson collection, for a total estimated value of US$34 million. Upon the resolution of the settlement, he was able to keep his Gulfstream Jet, as well as some of the Michael Jackson memorabilia, including the $275,000 crystal Michael Jackson glove which he wore during his 1987–89 "Bad" tour, and other assets. $20 million of the proceeds was pledged, on DOJ's website, to go to a charitable institution for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea. Another $10.3 million was pledged to be used for the benefit of the people of Equatorial Guinea "to the extent permitted by law." Since both of these pledges, there have been no records of the funds sent to any of the citizens, nor any of the infrastructure of Equatorial Guinea. In February 2012, a Parisian mansion belonging to Nguema, worth around

100 million, was raided by French police and they discovered luxury goods inside worth millions of euros. In July 2012, an arrest warrant was issued for him.The Republic of Equatorial Guinea institutes proceedings against France with regard to "the immunity from criminal jurisdiction of tsSecond Vice-President in charge of Defence and State Security, and the legal status of the building which houses tsEmbassy in France", , retrieved 11 December 2016 The mansion was seized by French authorities in August 2012. He was indicted by the French justice on several counts of corruption and money-laundering with an 'in absentia' trial beginning in 2017. In response, Equatorial Guinea filed a case against France in the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

accusing France of breaching the

diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

of its representatives and premises. In the preliminary phase the court found that France must guarantee the protection of the premises presented as housing the diplomatic mission of Equatorial Guinea in France. In December 2020 it ruled that the mansion was never a diplomatic premises. In September 2016, the District Attorneys Roger Le Loire and Charlotte Bilger referred Nguema to the Criminal Court of Paris, and issued an arrest warrant through

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

. This procedure was validated by the International Court of Justice in December 2016. The French trial concluded in October 2017 with Nguema receiving a

suspended sentence A suspended sentence is a sentence on conviction for a criminal offence, the serving of which the court orders to be deferred in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that ...

of three years plus a suspended fine of

30 million. His properties in France, as well as 17 luxury cars, were also seized, including the Parisian mansion.

UK sanctions

On 22 July 2021, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

imposed sanctions on Nguema over "lavish lifestyle" spending, which he spent on mansions, private jets, among other things. In retaliation, the Foreign Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Simeón Oyono Esono Angue, announced the closure of the country's embassy in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, as the British government sanctioned Nguema. The Minister said that it was the first measure and that Equatorial Guinea "will not allow interference in internal affairs".

Brazil sanctions

In January 2025, Brazilian authorities have charged Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Vice President of Equatorial Guinea and son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, with money laundering. The charges stem from allegations that Obiang used embezzled public funds to purchase a $2.5 million apartment in Brazil and attempted to enter the country in 2018 with $16 million in cash and luxury items.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguema Obiang Mangue, Teodoro 1968 births Living people People from Wele-Nzas Children of presidents Vice presidents of Equatorial Guinea Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea politicians Agriculture ministers of Equatorial Guinea Pepperdine University alumni Equatoguinean politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century Equatoguinean politicians