Femi Ashekun/
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled against Equatorial Guinea in a case involving Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, widely known as Teodorín, the eldest son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The dispute centres on a 101-room Paris mansion seized by French authorities during a corruption probe.
In its September 12, 2025 decision, the ICJ rejected Equatorial Guinea’s request for provisional measures to halt the possible sale of the property on Avenue Foch. The court held that the country had not demonstrated a plausible legal right to reclaim the building, clearing the way for French authorities to proceed with its disposal while the broader case continues.
The mansion was confiscated in 2017 after a French court convicted Teodorín in absentia of embezzlement and money laundering, ordering him to forfeit several luxury assets. The property had first been seized in 2012 during a corruption investigation.
Teodorín has been a central figure in Equatorial Guinea’s ruling establishment for decades. He began as a presidential adviser in the 1990s before serving more than ten years as minister of agriculture and forestry.
In 2012 he became second vice-president with responsibility for defence and security, and in 2016 he was elevated to first vice-president, cementing his role as heir apparent to his father, who has ruled the country since 1979 after seizing power in a coup.
This dynastic hold on power has attracted global scrutiny, with prosecutors in multiple jurisdictions alleging that the ruling family diverted vast oil revenues to fund extravagant lifestyles abroad. Teodorín has faced asset forfeiture cases in France, the United States and South Africa, with courts linking mansions, luxury cars and private jets to misappropriated state wealth.
The Paris case has once again drawn attention to the striking contrast between the Obiang family’s fortunes and the struggles of ordinary citizens. Despite being one of Africa’s most oil-rich countries, Equatorial Guinea remains plagued by poverty, with basic services such as healthcare, education and infrastructure lagging far behind its hydrocarbon earnings.
The World Bank notes that a significant share of the population still lives in vulnerable conditions.
The ICJ ruling drew sharp reactions. Sara Brimbeuf, head of advocacy for grand corruption and illicit financial flows at Transparency International France, welcomed the decision, saying it “allows us to move forward positively towards the future restitution of these Equatorial Guinean assets, which have been definitively confiscated by the French courts.”
She added that Equatorial Guinea’s repeated appeals had slowed down the restitution process.
Equatorial Guinea, however, strongly criticised the outcome. Its agent before the ICJ, Carmelo Nvono-Ncá, accused France of acting in a “paternalistic and even neo-colonial” manner.
The government argued that the property had diplomatic status and insisted that its sovereignty was being undermined by the seizure and the planned sale.
Analysts say the disparity between the Obiang family’s wealth and the country’s economic reality underscores why international corruption cases involving Teodorín Obiang continue to resonate well beyond Equatorial Guinea’s borders.
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