Virtual Event | Obiang’s Kleptocracy in Equatorial Guinea

Please be advised: This event will premiere on this page at 12:00 p.m. EDT, Thursday, September 30. Register for the event here

Join Hudson Institute Research Fellow Nate Sibley and Adjunct Fellow Casey Michel for a discussion with expert panelists Tutu Alicante, Sara Brimbeuf, and Adam Schwarz on Equatorial Guinea and the fight against transnational corruption.

Equatorial Guinea is rich in natural resources, but the ruling Obiang family’s kleptocracy has made it one of the poorest countries in the world. The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Teodorin Obiang, son of the country’s authoritarian ruler, abused his official positions to amass more than $300 million in assets through corruption and money laundering. While the majority of Equatoguineans survive on $1 per day, Obiang allegedly used stolen funds to pursue a hedonistic lifestyle in the West. But from the biens mal acquis case, in which civil society organizations pursued Obiang through the French courts, to recent U.S. efforts to seize his assets, the case of Equatorial Guinea provides important lessons for international efforts against transnational corruption. On September 20, 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice announced that $26.6 million confiscated from Obiang would be repurposed to fund COVID vaccines and urgent medical needs for Equatorial Guinea’s population.

Join Hudson Institute to discuss these important developments and what comes next in the fight for justice for the people of Equatorial Guinea.