Playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader flaunts £38k-a-night holiday as his people live off £2 a day - a year after his fleet of 25 supercars was impounded and sold off

  • Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, is staying at the private island of Voavah, Maldives 
  • The 50-year-old has since documented the luxury trip to the UNESCO World Heritage site on his Instagram  
  • But his country recently plunged into economic crisis due to coronavirus outbreak and drop in crude oil price

Advertisement

The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader has been flaunting his £38,000-a-night holiday while his people live off £2 a day - just one year after his fleet of 25 supercars was impounded and sold off. 

Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, arrived at the private island of Voavah in the Maldives - a recognised UNESCO world heritage site - earlier this month.

The 50-year-old has since documented the luxury trip on Instagram to his 100,000 followers despite his country recently being plunged into economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the sudden drop in the price of crude oil - which provides about three quarters of state revenue.

Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, arrived at the private island of Voavah in the Maldives - a recognised UNESCO world heritage site - earlier this month
He has been spending his time trying extreme sports out in the turquoise waters including rising jet skis and water jet packs (pictured)

Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, arrived at the private island of Voavah in the Maldives - a recognised UNESCO world heritage site - earlier this month 

Mr Obiang sailed across to the five-acre resort in the Baa Atoll, currently managed by the Four Seasons, on his 76-metre yacht Ebony Shine.

The $115million (£89m) vessel, which has a staff of 22, was identified in aerial shots of the island moored among the surrounding reef. 

But Mr Obaing was only recently reunited with the luxury yacht after it was seized at the request of Swiss courts who were investigating allegations of money laundering.

It was held for three years before the government of Equatorial Guinea paid $1.3millon (£1m) in fees and successfully argued it belonged to its Ministry of National Defence and that it was used for training people in the navy.   

The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader has been flaunting the £38,000-a-night holiday on the UNESCO private island
The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader has been flaunting the £38,000-a-night holiday on the UNESCO private island

The playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader has been flaunting the £38,000-a-night holiday on the UNESCO private island

Mr Obiang sailed across to the five-acre resort in the Baa Atoll, (pictured) currently managed by the Four Seasons, on his 76-metre yacht Ebony Shine

Mr Obiang sailed across to the five-acre resort in the Baa Atoll, (pictured) currently managed by the Four Seasons, on his 76-metre yacht Ebony Shine 

Mr Obiang has been spending much of his time jetting around the world to exotic beaches - despite being elected vice-president of Equatorial Guinea in 2016
Mr Obiang has been spending much of his time on the beach - despite being elected vice-president of Equatorial Guinea in 2016

Mr Obiang has been spending much of his time jetting around the world to exotic beaches - despite being elected vice-president of Equatorial Guinea in 2016

In 2019, the United Nations Development Programme ranked Equatorial Guinea 144 out of 189 countries in its Human Development Report, combining life expectancy, education and per-capita income data

In 2019, the United Nations Development Programme ranked Equatorial Guinea 144 out of 189 countries in its Human Development Report, combining life expectancy, education and per-capita income data

The lavish trip comes as Equatorial Guinea, which is currently run by Mr Obiang's father, is facing a double economic shock after being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as well as a plunge in the price of crude oil.

The country, Africa's only Spanish speaking nation, has become the continent's number three oil producer but experts say the vast majority of the population has not benefited from the energy revenue boom.

The population currently stands at around 1.3 million with 76.8 per cent living in poverty, according to a study by the World Bank  

Mr Obaing appeared carefree during his trip despite his country recently being plunged into economic crisis due to the coronavirus crisis as well as the sudden drop in the price of crude oil - which provides about three quarters of state revenue
Mr Obaing appeared carefree during his trip despite his country recently being plunged into economic crisis due to the coronavirus crisis as well as the sudden drop in the price of crude oil - which provides about three quarters of state revenue

Mr Obaing appeared carefree during his trip despite his country recently being plunged into economic crisis due to the coronavirus crisis as well as the sudden drop in the price of crude oil - which provides about three quarters of state revenue

Mr Obaing was only recently reunited with the $115million (£89m) vessel (pictured) after it was seized at the request of Swiss courts who were investigating allegations of money laundering

Mr Obaing was only recently reunited with the $115million (£89m) vessel (pictured) after it was seized at the request of Swiss courts who were investigating allegations of money laundering

The country's current leader, Mr Obiang's 78-year-old father (pictured), is the world's longest-serving president

The country's current leader, Mr Obiang's 78-year-old father (pictured), is the world's longest-serving president

Many of those are forced to survive on less than £2 per day and UNICEF found that more than half still lacks access to clean water.   

In 2019, the United Nations Development Programme ranked Equatorial Guinea 144 out of 189 countries in its Human Development Report, combining life expectancy, education and per-capita income data.   

The country's current leader, Mr Obiang's 78-year-old father, is the world's longest-serving president.

He seized power in 1979 after overthrowing his uncle, Francisco Macías Nguema, who was later executed. 

Human RightsWatch, as well as other independent groups over the past 40 years, have documented his government's repression of civil society and political opposition groups.

They have described him as one Africa's most brutal dictators and claimed that the 'dictatorship under President Obiang has used an oil boom to entrench and enrich itself further at the expense of the country's people'. 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the president and the members of his party repeatedly won re-election by lopsided margins in ballots that were fraught with charges of fraud. 

He has also not been shy about the family's wealth after paying $55million (£42.5m) for a Boeing 737 jet complete with gold-plated lavatory fittings.  

In 2004, a plot relying on foreign mercenaries to replace President Obiang with exiled opposition leader Severo Moto was uncovered.

Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, (pictured in a Jacuzzi) has been documenting his trip to the private island of Voavah in the Maldives - a recognised UNESCO world heritage site - on Instagram to his 100,000 followers

Teodorin Obiang, the vice-president of Equatorial Guinea, (pictured in a Jacuzzi) has been documenting his trip to the private island of Voavah in the Maldives - a recognised UNESCO world heritage site - on Instagram to his 100,000 followers

Mr Obiang, the playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader, has been making the most of his time at the luxury resort with a group of friends - who he dined with at an underwater restaurant
Mr Obiang, the playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader, has been making the most of his time at the luxury resort

Mr Obiang, the playboy son of Equatorial Guinea's despot leader, has been making the most of his time at the luxury resort with a group of friends - who he dined with at an underwater restaurant 

History of Equatorial Guinea 

Equatorial Guinea is located on west coast of Africa consists of the mainland territory of Río Muni as well as five islands - Bioko, Corisco, Great Elobey, Little Elobey and Annobón.

It is formerly a colony of Spain before achieving independence in October 1968.

In 1995, Equatorial Guinea struck oil and has since become one of sub-Sahara's biggest oil producers.

Rights organisations have described the two post-independence leaders as among the worst abusers of human rights in Africa.

The first president Francisco Macias Nguema, who reigned from 1968 until his overthrow in 1979 - prompted a third of the population to flee.

Mr Obiang Nguema then seized power and has since become Africa's longest serving leader.

But he has been described by rights organisations as one Africa's most brutal dictators.       

It has been reported that many in the country are forced to eke out a living on about £2 a day. 

Advertisement

By 2008, a court in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, sentenced British mercenary Simon Mann to 34 years in prison for his role in the affair.

But President Obiang pardoned him the following year.

The younger Mr Obiang was only 10 when his father seized power.

In the 1980s, the new leader's son was enrolled in the Ecole des Roches in Normandy, northwest France, which prides itself on educating the offspring of leaders from all over the world.

His father appointed him as minister of forests in 1997 in his tropical homeland even before he had turned 30 years old.

Mr Obaing held the government post until 2012 and had been considered the 'godfather' of the lucrative timber industry before oil exports brought increasing wealth. 

In 2016, President Obiang - freshly elected with more than 90 percent of the vote - named his son vice president.

Last year, the younger Mr Obiang had his fleet of 25 supercars - including five Bentleys, seven Ferraris, three Lamborghinis and a Bugatti Veyron - impounded and sold off by the authorities in Switzerland.

The sale, held by auctioneer Bonhams, fetched £21.9million with the proceeds going to a charity to benefit the people of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

The standout lot in the auction was a white-and-cream Lamborghini Veneno roadster, one of only nine such versions produced, that has been driven only 325 kilometers (201 miles).

In 2018, Mr Obiang was also ensnared in legal trouble elsewhere when Brazilian officials said $16 million (£13million) in undeclared cash and luxury watches that were seized from a delegation he led may have been part of an effort to launder money embezzled from the country's government. 

And a Parisian court in 2017 convicted the president's son in absentia of embezzling tens of millions of euro from his government and laundering the proceeds in France.

The court handed down a three-year suspended jail sentence and a suspended €30million fine. 

Authorities also seized his assets in France valued at well over €100million - including a six-floor mansion in Paris, an antique clock and fine wines worth thousands of pounds a bottle.

The lavish trip comes as Equatorial Guinea (pictured), which is currently run by Mr Obiang's father, is facing a double economic shock after being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as well as a plunge in the price of crude oil

The lavish trip comes as Equatorial Guinea (pictured), which is currently run by Mr Obiang's father, is facing a double economic shock after being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as well as a plunge in the price of crude oil

The population currently stands at around 1.3 million with 76.8 per cent living in poverty, according to a study by the World Bank, with many of those are forced to survive on less than £2 per day

The population currently stands at around 1.3 million with 76.8 per cent living in poverty, according to a study by the World Bank, with many of those are forced to survive on less than £2 per day

'This verdict against Teodorin Obiang is further proof that rampant government corruption in Equatorial Guinea has robbed its people of their country's oil wealth,' Sarah Saadoun, business and human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said at the time.

Mr Obiang had tried to use his appointment as vice-president to argue in vain at the International Court of Justice in The Hague that he had diplomatic immunity and could not be prosecuted in France.

But nonetheless he was seemingly unfazed by the court's verdict and 40-minutes later posted a video clip on social media showing him on a luxury motorbike in the capital Malabo.

Last year, the younger Mr Obiang had his fleet of 25 supercars - including five Bentleys, seven Ferraris, three Lamborghinis and a Bugatti Veyron - impounded and sold off by the authorities in Switzerland

Last year, the younger Mr Obiang had his fleet of 25 supercars - including five Bentleys, seven Ferraris, three Lamborghinis and a Bugatti Veyron - impounded and sold off by the authorities in Switzerland 

The standout lot in the auction was a white-and-cream Lamborghini Veneno roadster, one of only nine such versions produced, that has been driven only 325 kilometers (201 miles)

The standout lot in the auction was a white-and-cream Lamborghini Veneno roadster, one of only nine such versions produced, that has been driven only 325 kilometers (201 miles)

Admirers inspect a 2015 Koenigsegg One:1 model car during the auction preview in front of the Bonmont hotel in Cheserex. Its V8 engine helped produce a top speed of 248 mph, while its name, One:1 is derived from its horsepower-to-kilogram weight ratio

Admirers inspect a 2015 Koenigsegg One:1 model car during the auction preview in front of the Bonmont hotel in Cheserex. Its V8 engine helped produce a top speed of 248 mph, while its name, One:1 is derived from its horsepower-to-kilogram weight ratio

A 2015 two-door Ferrari F12tdf, which stands for Tour de France, was part of the auction. Even before the majority of the 799 models came off the assembly line, was among the cars seized

A 2015 two-door Ferrari F12tdf, which stands for Tour de France, was part of the auction. Even before the majority of the 799 models came off the assembly line, was among the cars seized

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.