Trial of Equatorial Guinea leader’s son postponed in France until June
Paris — A French court on Wednesday postponed the corruption trial of the son of Equatorial Guinea’s president until June 19, halting proceedings two days after they began. Teodorin Obiang’s lawyer asked for the hearing to be suspended, saying his client, summoned to trial three weeks ago, had not been given enough time to prepare his defence in a complex case. Obiang, eldest son of President Teodoro Obiang and a vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, is accused of buying palatial Parisian properties and exotic cars with money plundered from his country, a small oil-rich state on Africa’s west coast. Obiang has not appeared in France to answer the charges of laundering embezzled public funds, for which he could be jailed for 10 years and fined heavily. The case is the first of several to reach court in a broader investigation into allegations of illicit acquisitions in France by long-time leaders and their families of several African countries including, Gabon and Congo Republic. Reut...
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