Intro only by Innocent Chia
Article culled from Yahoo! Autos
If anyone had lingering doubts about Obama's inaugural promise to unclinch the fists of dictators across Africa, he served another reminder in a pre-taped interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The spate of dictatorships that have crumbled within the last 10 months - Ben Ali of Tunisia, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya - provides more than a sneak-preview of prevailing anxieties in surviving dictatorships - Paul Biya of Cameroon and Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.
While Cameroon's CPDM has uncharacteristically not celebrated its "People's choice" "victory" from the elections of October 9th, Obiang is beginning to feel some ground shifting from underneath...If the dictator will not crumble on his own, his collaborators do not have the same security in the respective villages and neighborhoods... If the collaborators crumble, the dictator cannot replace them fast enough... The Obama doctrine is that there is no safe haven for dictators, their kids or collaborators...at home in Cameroon or abroad in the US!
Feds pressure African dictator's son to surrender Ferrari, Michael Jackson's glove
In a case kept hidden from public view until last week, the U.S. Department of Justice says it's pursuing more than $32 million in assets from Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, whose father Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled over oil-rich Equatorial Guinea for 32 years -- and has been accused by authorities around the world of illicitly siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars for himself and his family.
A 2010 U.S. Senate report detailed how Obiang the younger, known as Teodorin, had moved $110 million into the United States through shell companies and anonymous transactions, propping up a hard-partying lifestyle that included spending $30 million on one of Malibu's largest mansions and a $38.5 million Gulfstream V jet. Obiang was also known to collect supercars like they were Hot Wheels, with at least 32 cars and motorcycles at one point, including eight Ferraris, two Bugatti Veyrons and a $2 million Maserati.
While the U.S. Department of Justice has said a probe into Obiang had been ongoing since 2004, the first signs of legal trouble for Obiang came from France, where authorities seized 11 of his cars last month, including the $2 million Maserati MC-12. While the Justice Department had sought seven cars from Obiang in California, its latest request mentions only one -- a 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO.
The documents unsealed last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles offer the first glimpse of the case built by the Justice against Obiang, accusing him of spending more than $100 million garnered from extortion and embezzlement in Equatorial Guinea. The feds also revealed how Obiang bought $3.2 million worth of memorabilia from Michael Jackson's estate earlier this year, including the white crystal-studded glove Jackson wore on the "Bad" tour, the MTV Music Video Award for "We Are The World" and several of the life-size figurines Jackson used to keep at his Neverland Ranch.
So far, no representatives of Obiang's has officially responded to the government's bid, and the Justice Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Yahoo! Autos. Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group long critical of inaction against the Obiang family, has called on the United States and other countries to move against the clan despite their control over a key oil supply.
“The move to freeze Teodorín’s assets in the U.S. is overdue,” said Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. “But the real test will be if the U.S. government vigorously pursues the inquiry to its conclusion without letting diplomatic or business ties stand in the way.”
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Innocent Chia
Citizen Journalist
Email: innochia@gmail.com




how I wish the same could happen to Frank and Chantal biyas
Posted by: shey | October 28, 2011 at 04:56 PM
The world has been so quite when it comes to the plight of the African when African money is stolen and stored in Europe and America. The moment of reckoning is now and we want to know how much of our stolen wealth is going to come back to us and how that will be used for the the good of the common wealth. WE have seen the fall of some of the dictators and how some are holding boulders and rocks, so as not to fall.
Posted by: Ndim Bernard Nguoche | October 29, 2011 at 03:48 AM
This is the expectation from all the dictators.A sign of confusion and end time.
God help Africa.
Posted by: Ayamba Assam | November 05, 2011 at 08:46 AM
Mr President we believe when you say there is no save heaven for dictactor, plaese the time of Obiang is over, we can share the resources of guinean people with all guinean and our good world partner.
the obiang regime must end now.
Viva Guinea Equatorial
im proud guinean living in exile for 30 more yeas
we the people of Guinea equatorial do not need more 14 years of dictatorial Obiang.
go go go and rest in Bata obiang
Posted by: placido | November 06, 2011 at 01:53 AM
As an equatoguinean I am extremely pleased with the moves to seize these ill gotten assets of Teodorin.Believe me the people of EG are suffering despite the oil wealth they have.All that matters to the Obiangs is thier wellbeing and not that of the general populace.If not how come Eg cant provide even free primary education and basic healthcare to its people for free?By the way they have other ill gotten assets in the Maryland-DC area.
Posted by: pedro | November 06, 2011 at 12:47 PM
Googled Frank Biya aand there is so little about him.What is it about him that keeps him so low key ?
Posted by: Nfor Mat | November 07, 2011 at 05:56 AM
Frank Biya is smart. He does not wanna get involve in those crazy nonsense extravaganza like others dictators sons; neither in politics, although the vampires surrounding his father want him to.
Posted by: samy | November 10, 2011 at 11:13 PM
Intro only by Innocent Chia Article culled from Yahoo! Autos If anyone had lingering doubts about Obama's inaugural promise to unclinch the fists of dictatorships across Africa, he served another reminder in a pre-taped interview on The Tonight Show with.
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