A court in Equatorial Guinea has convicted one of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo’s sons, Ruslan Obiang Nsue, for illegally selling an aeroplane belonging to the country’s national airline, a court official confirmed.

The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, ordered him to serve six years in prison unless he repays the state for the missing plane, Supreme Court press director Hilario Mitogo said in a WhatsApp message to reporters.

Obiang Nsue, 50, a former director of national carrier Ceiba Intercontinental, was found guilty of selling the ATR 72-500 aircraft to a Spanish company and keeping the proceeds.

He had been under house arrest since 2023 following an order by his half-brother, Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.

According to Mitogo, 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. However, he was acquitted on separate charges of embezzlement and abuse of office.

Obiang Nsue, who has previously served as secretary of state for sports and youth, is the son of the world’s longest-serving president, who has ruled the oil-rich central African country for 46 years. (Nigerian Tribune)