ICJ ruling clears path for sale of Teodorín Obiang’s Paris mansion |
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has dealt a major blow to Equatorial Guinea’s long-running effort to reclaim a luxury mansion in Paris once owned by Teodorín Obiang, the scandal-plagued son of the country’s president. On September 12, the world court dismissed Malabo’s latest request for emergency measures, opening the way for French authorities to sell the multimillion-euro estate seized more than a decade ago in a corruption probe.
The decision marks the second time the ICJ has ruled in favor of France in this dispute, further isolating Equatorial Guinea in its campaign to shield Obiang’s assets from confiscation. It also strengthens international precedent against attempts by authoritarian governments to misuse diplomatic status as a legal shield for ill-gotten wealth.
The mansion in question sits near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris’s upscale 16th arrondissement, an area associated with old money and global elites. French investigators who raided the property in 2012 found evidence of extreme extravagance: a private cinema, hammam, multiple luxury cars, and bathrooms clad in marble and gold. The estate symbolized the staggering wealth Obiang had accumulated while serving as Equatorial Guinea’s vice president, despite his official salary being a fraction of what the property and lifestyle suggested.
In 2017, French courts convicted Obiang of embezzlement and money laundering, concluding that he had siphoned off at least $174 million in public funds from his country. He........