Equatorial Guinea urges UN to block the sale of a Paris mansion seized by France

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea accused France of “neo-colonial” behavior on Tuesday, urging United Nations judges to block the sale of a mansion on one of Paris’ poshest avenues in the latest instalment in a long-running legal tug-of-war over the multimillion-dollar property.

The African country filed a case at the International Court of Justice in 2022, alleging France is violating international law by refusing to return assets seized during a corruption investigation into Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of Equatorial Guinea’s long-serving president.

France’s approach “may be described as paternalistic and even neo-colonial. We cannot accept such disdain for our sovereignty from France,” Carmelo Nvono-Ncá, Equatorial Guinea’s agent, told The Hague-based court.

Equatorial Guinea has asked the court for a series of urgent orders, known as provisional measures, to return the swanky mansion on one of Paris’s most prestigious streets, Avenue Foch, and to prevent France from selling the building.

Lawyers for France strongly rejected the need for provisional measures, telling judges no sale was imminent and the dispute should be resolved via negotiation. The request “constitutes yet another abusive maneuver” by Equatorial Guinea, France’s agent, Diégo Colas, told the court.

In 2020, the international court ruled that the building was a private residence, not a diplomatic outpost, rejecting a claim from Equatorial Guinea that the seizure violated international law.

Obiang was convicted in 2017, and given a three-year suspended sentence for embezzling millions of dollars in public money. French authorities seized money, luxury vehicles and the building, which boasts a hammam, a cinema and a night club.

The 57-year-old has faced scrutiny for corruption in other countries as well. In 2021, he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom for misappropriating public funds, including spending $275,000 on the bejeweled glove that Michael Jackson wore on his “Bad” tour. Switzerland and Brazil have also opened investigations into his finances.

Equatorial Guinea returned to The Hague in 2022, arguing the French government was obliged to return the assets based on a U.N. anti-corruption convention.

Despite its oil and gas riches, Equatorial Guinea has a dramatic gap between its privileged ruling class and much of the impoverished population. The former Spanish colony is run by Africa’s longest-serving president, Obiang’s father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.