A $380 million yacht for a dictator’s son?
Equally eye-popping was Obiang’s justification of his and political elites’ wealth:
In a sworn affidavit to a South African court … He stated that public officials in his country are allowed to partner with foreign companies bidding for government contracts and said this means “a Cabinet minister ends up with a sizeable part of the contract price in his bank account.”
Presumably this blog post will be classified amongst the growing legion of “gossip, lies and miserable manoeuvres” about Equatorial Guinea. Miserable it certainly is!
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Posted by M Jones on March 11, 2011 at 11:24 pm
Disgusting. At least it is getting some press in Foreign Policy and elsewhere. Teodorin’s quote reminds me of the below from the Washington Post last year from Congolese President Nguesso:
“In a visit to France last year, Sassou-Nguesso said the assets were typical for a world leader.
‘All the leaders of the world have castles and palaces in France, whether they are from the Gulf, Europe or Africa,’ he explained.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/25/AR2010082505238_2.html
The impunity is as repulsive as the kleptocracy itself.
Posted by MJ on March 13, 2011 at 8:23 am
classic – the audacity of these guys has no limits! – and so, so depressing