Jul
14
2012
By Bruce Zagaris
On June 12, 2012, two French judges issued an arrest warrant for Teodorin Obiang, who is agriculture minister and the son of Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, on charges of money-laundering, judicial sources said on Friday.
The judges, Roger Le Loire and Rene Grouman, suspect Teodorin Obiang of stealing state funds to buy real estate in France. Teodorin has denied any wrongdoing.
The decision to issue an arrest warrant was triggered when Teodorin Obiang, 41, did not appear for questioning by the financial fraud squad.
The criminal case that has led to the arrest warrant was brought by non-governmental organizations, including Transparency International and SHERPA.