Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President, has offered to work with the United States government to resolve remaining legal issues after a federal judge dismissed most of the case the government had brought against him.
Mr. Nguema has also vowed to fight the remaining charges that he had violated the Banking Law of the United States when his former attorneys opened some bank accounts for him.
“Personally, and on behalf of my country, I'm still confident that this misunderstanding with the United States can be resolved,” Mr. Nguema said in a statement. “I understand that there can be disagreements between friends. If I am given the opportunity, I intend to work with representatives of the U.S. government to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution of this controversy that will allow us to move forward together in the work for the continued development of Equatorial Guinea.”
Previous efforts by Mr. Nguema to cooperate with the investigation were rebuffed by the Department of Justice, according to his legal representatives.
Earlier this week, the United States District Court for the Central District of California granted a motion for summary judgment to Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President, which dismissed the U.S. government’s claims that the Vice President had violated the laws of his country. The District Court of Los Angeles ruled that the government did not have probable cause to bring those charges.
Mr. Nguema said he was grateful for the ruling, but never doubted that he would be vindicated in this long-running case.
“In expressing my gratitude for this dismissal, I find it unfortunate that this case has taken two years to get to this point. However, I have always been sure of our victory,” he said.
Official Statement from Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue:
As I have always stated since the beginning of the investigation against me, the U.S. government never had reasonable grounds to believe that I had violated the laws of our country, Equatorial Guinea.
After full and careful consideration of all the evidence presented by the government of the United States, the District Court of Los Angeles has ruled that the three separate accounts on which this action was instituted lacked any consistency and admitted the motion presented by my lawyers, effectively dismissing the allegations of the case.
In expressing my gratitude for this dismissal, I find it unfortunate that this case has taken two years to get to this point. However, I have always been sure of our victory.
After the unsuccessful filing of its initial accusation, the U.S. government has amended its complaint alleging that I had violated the Banking Law of the United States at the time my former attorneys opened some bank accounts.
Now that the Court has ruled in my favor in the original complaint, we will also defend ourselves from that new pretext, and I'm sure that we will also win on that occasion, convinced that this entire situation is being orchestrated by some institutions and people with undeclared interests, with the intent of diverting attention from the development process of our country, in order to cloud the good relations of cooperation maintained between the Republic of Equatorial Guinea and the United States and other ally countries.
Personally, and on behalf of my country, I'm still confident that this misunderstanding with the United States can be resolved. I understand that there can be disagreements between friends. If I am given the opportunity, I intend to work with representatives of the U.S. government to achieve a mutually acceptable resolution of this controversy that will allow us to move forward together in the work for the continued development of Equatorial Guinea.