[ad_1]
Some $ 26 million in assets confiscated by the son of the leader of Equatorial Guinea are to be used by the United Nations and an NGO to fund health care in the African country, the US Department of Justice said on Monday.
The United Nations will receive $ 19.25 million to purchase and distribute Covid-19 vaccines and Medical Care Development International (MCDI) will receive $ 6.35 million to send drugs and medical supplies to Equatorial Guinea, he indicated.
The funds come from a civil confiscation settlement involving Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, whose father has ruled the oil-rich but poverty-stricken country since 1979, the justice ministry said in a statement.
In the civil confiscation case, the United States alleged that Obiang had amassed more than $ 300 million in assets through corruption and money laundering.
Under a 2014 settlement agreement, Obiang was forced to sell a mansion in Malibu, Calif. He bought for $ 30 million, a Ferrari automobile and various Michael Jackson memorabilia, according to the ministry. of Justice.
“As provided in the agreement, $ 10.3 million of these settlement funds were to be confiscated in the United States and the remaining settlement funds would be distributed to a charity or other organization for the benefit of the people of Guinea. equatorial, ”the department said.
“As far as possible, kleptocrats will not be allowed to retain the benefits of corruption,” Deputy Attorney General Kenneth Polite said.
A French court recently upheld Obiang’s conviction in France for accumulating luxury properties with illegally obtained funds, imposing a three-year suspended prison sentence and a fine of 30 million euros ($ 35 million) .
Despite Equatorial Guinea’s oil wealth, most of the 1.4 million inhabitants of this central African country live below the poverty line.
Source link
