The international media "Vice" has coined the term "kleptobrats" to refer to the children of dictators and oligarchs who, far from seeking the common good, focus on enriching themselves. As a result, Mujer Hoy published an interesting article, signed by Marita Alonso, in which he refers as one of the most prominent examples of this tendency to Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, son of the president of Equatorial Guinea, Theodore Obiang, who is considered the longest-serving dictator in the world.
Teodorin has gained notoriety for his ostentatious lifestyle and reckless management of resources. Despite public condemnations of the structural problems in his country, he has displayed on social media his luxury penthouse at the Mark Hotel in New York, where he paid $75 per night. Furthermore, he has been linked to extravagant expenditures, such as acquiring relics of Michael Jackson for 3 million dollars.
These excesses have drawn the attention of international justice, facing charges of corruption and money laundering that have forced him to pay large fines. Countries such as France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Brazil have investigated and condemned Teodorin for these practices.
The Coalition Against Kleptocracy has denounced these behaviors, highlighting how the excesses of elites deprive citizens of essential public services. The Open Central Africa (OCA) initiative seeks to expose these stories to raise awareness of the negative impacts of kleptocracy on the development and well-being of affected societies. Meanwhile, the dictatorship of Equatorial Guinea maintains a total embargo against the population of the island of Annobón, who live in absolute misery and insecurity.
