Who is Baltasar Ebang Engonga and why is he trending?
Baltasar Ebang Engonga, a political figure in Equatorial Guinea, has been in the trends for some days now. Born on March 15 1970, he served as the head of the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF) in the Central African country.
He was in charge of supervising financial regulations and investigations focused on preventing financial crimes, such as money laundering and corruption, in compliance with both national and international financial standards.
Ebang Engonga was also responsible for directing investigative procedures related to financial irregularities and enforcing relevant financial laws. He played a huge role in the country’s efforts to maintain financial oversight and transparency.
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Unfortunately for him, 2024 turned out to be a bad year for Engonga, who was subjected to legal scrutiny over corruption allegations and misconduct—which led to public backlash.
Baltasar Video
A few days ago, sex videos of Baltasar Ebang Engonga and different women were leaked. Reports say the women were about 400. These women were reported to have links with high-profile individuals in the country. Authorities were said to have started an investigation after the explicit videos were found on his personal computer. The leak of Baltasar’s video has triggered online conversations with many questioning the ethical standards of public officials. Following the incident, he has not made any public statement.
The video became topical on various social media platforms. Days after the leak, the Equatorial Guinea political leader is still in the trends on social media. When one is scrolling on these platforms, memes of Ebang Engonga are so rampant to come across. The hashtag #BaltasarEbangEngonga also trended online.
Some unscrupulous individuals have begun creating fake profiles in his name. Despite the seriousness of the issue, a section of the profiles is being used to make funny comments under unrelated posts.
On social media, especially among African users, Engonga has been crowned the man of the moment. While making fun of him, questions are being asked whether he wanted to be the King Solomon of this era or even overtake the Biblical figure.
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Repercussions after ‘Balthazar’ Engonga video
On the heels of the leaked video involving Baltasar Ebang Engonga and the women, authorities are putting up measures to prevent such acts in the future. Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President, Teodoro Obiang Mangue, strongly warned against officials engaging in sexual activities at the workplace.
Looking at the dent that the leaked videos are having on the name of the country, the Vice President’s office indicated in a statement that the decision was taken following the leak of the explicit videos.
Sources added that authorities in the country tried to prevent the video from spreading—but it looks like it was a fruitless effort.
Multiple reports also say Ebang has been sacked. Before his dismissal and the leak of the videos, he was reported to be in custody on charges of embezzlement of public funds.
According to Equatorial Guinea’s Chief Prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, should in case medical tests prove that Engonga has any sexually transmitted disease, he would face prosecution for an offense against public health.
Baltasar Ebang Engonga is a married man and a father of six children.
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