24th July, 2021
By Nimot Sulaimon
Equatorial Guinea on Saturday defended the lavish lifestyle of Teodoro Obiang Mangue, son of the President, who was sanctioned by the UK government for his involvement in the misappropriation of state funds.
Obiang made news headlines when he bought N113 million glove belonging to the late pop star, Michael Jackson.
This alerted UK authorities and they hit Obiang with sanctions, claiming that his luxurious cars, mansions and private jets were of dubious means.
Sanctions announced by London include asset freezing and a travel ban. Obiang is, however, not new to a global crackdown on his humongous wealth.
However, in reaction to these sanctions, the government of Equatorial Guinea hit back, saying that the sanctions were ‘illegal’, ‘unilateral’.
An official statement from the Vice President, Malaabo, said “The unfounded sanctions imposed by the British government find their justification in the manipulations, the lies… that some non-governmental organisations promote against the good image of Equatorial Guinea.”
The vice president “has not made any investment in the United Kingdom,” it said, terming the measures “unilateral and illegal”.
“The action we have taken today targets individuals who have lined their own pockets at the expense of their citizens,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement.