The director general of Equatorial Guinea's National Financial Investigation Agency, Baltasar Engonga, has been arrested for allegedly recording over 400 sex tapes of wives of notable figures in the country.

The scandal arose in the wake of a fraud investigation into the 54-year-old Economist, which led to ANIF officers spontaneously searching his home and office and unearthing several CDs that later revealed his sexcapades with various married women.

The videos reportedly include encounters with high-profile people, including his brother's wife, his cousin, the sister of the president of Equatorial Guinea, the wife of the director general of the police and about 20 of the country's ministers' wives, among others.

The footage discovered in his private office was said to have been recorded with consent and has since been leaked online, causing media uproar.

A report by local media platform Ahora EG said Engonga has been involved in a sexual scandal unprecedented in Equatorial Guinea's history since last October.

The former ANIF DG, better known as “Bello”, had sexual relationships with several women, some of whom were married, and filmed these intimate encounters.

The report states: “The most striking thing is that some scenes took place in his work office, including moments in which he is seen sleeping with a woman next to the national flag.” Due to this sexual scandal, the executive explained that the measure was a direct one reaction to the acts that had affected the country's image.

“With these new measures, the government hopes to set a clear precedent for the expected behavior of public officials in order to create a more respectful working environment in Equatorial Guinea’s public and private administration. Erotic videos have been circulating on social media for days featuring Baltasar EBANG ENGONGA, better known as “Bello”, who is currently the Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) and is currently in prison for alleged corruption offences.

“Baltasar EBANG ENGONGA is said to have filmed these scenes himself with the consent of the women, exonerating him from a possible crime of breach of integrity.” In the videos, he can be seen having unprotected sex with several women, including those who are married to powerful and well-known people in the country, but also to the “divas and most influential” single women in Equatorial Guinea. “Some scenes take place in hotel rooms, houses and even the protagonist’s office in the Ministry of Finance,” it continues.

However, regarding the viral sex tapes, the country's attorney general, Nzang Nguema, stressed that while the images suggest that the women involved were not forced to participate, the law does not consider consensual sexual relations a crime unless coercion or Violence is proven. This highlights the importance of victims reporting situations of sexual abuse or assault.

Nguema also stressed that the risk exists not only to the women affected, but also to their partners and the wider community, adding: “The possibility of an infectious disease being spread through these sexual interactions makes the situation even more critical. “

He further noted that the onus is on victims to come forward in cases of rape or assault, stressing the need for an environment where people feel safe and supported in reporting such incidents.

In response to Monday's development, Equatorial Guinea has decided to take action and immediately suspend all officials who have had sexual relations in the offices of the country's ministries.

The government claimed the decision was part of its “zero tolerance” policy for behavior that threatens the integrity of the public service.

The Vice President of the Republic, Nguema Mangue, has indicated that these behaviors constitute a blatant violation of the Code of Conduct and the Law on Public Ethics.

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