LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday sanctioned the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president for misappropriating millions of dollars which London said was spent on luxury mansions, private jets and a $275,000 glove that Michael Jackson wore during the “Bad” tour.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced new sanctions against Teodoro Obiang Mangue, vice president of Equatorial Guinea, for his misappropriation of state funds.
Britain said Obiang had participated in “corrupt contracting arrangements and soliciting bribes, to fund a lavish lifestyle inconsistent with his official salary as a government minister”.
Britain said he had bought a $100 million mansion in Paris, a $38 million private jet, a luxury yacht, dozens of luxury vehicles including Ferraris, Bentleys and Aston Martins.
Britain’s foreign ministry said he also bought “a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia including a $275,000 crystal-covered glove that Jackson wore on his ‘Bad’ tour”.
Britain sanctioned four other people – Kudakwashe Regimond Tagwirei from Zimbabwe, Alex Nain Saab Morán and Alvaro Enrique Pulido Vargas from Venezuela and Nawfal Hammadi Al-Sultan from Iraq.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Kate Holton)
