20. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo has used his father’s power to fund his playboy lifestyle
As the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mbasogo was paid around $4,000 a month. However, when he wasn’t at his desk in the Ministry, he would be racing supercars through the streets of his impoverished country, or he might be chilling in his $15 million Malibu mansion or spending a weekend in his Paris penthouse. How did he afford such luxuries on a government salary? Well, when your father has been the President for more than 40 years, money usually isn’t an issue.
Teodoro, also known as Teodorin, was born in June 1969. That means he was 10 years old when his father, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ousted his own uncle in a coup to take control of Equatorial Guinea. From 1979 until the present day, the President has ruled over his country with an iron fist. While he has established it as a major oil producer, many people still live in poverty. The President has been charged with widespread abuses of power, including corruption and human rights violations. He has also been charged with nepotism, not least by making Teodorin his second-in-command and designated successor.
The President’s favorite son, Teodorin enjoyed the best education money can buy. After private school in France, he went to college in California before returning to his native country to begin his meteoric rise through the political system. However, it’s his lavish spending habits and playboy lifestyle rather than his political abilities which have ensued Toedorin regularly makes headlines around the world. On one occasion, it was reported that he blew several million in one weekend, splashing out on a new Bentley and a new Lamborghini while on holiday in South Africa. As well as these, he also owns some of the world’s rarest – and most expensive – supercars, plus he owns a global hip-hop music label and properties around the world.
It’s not always gone his way, however. Both France and Switzerland have conducted investigations into Teodorin for corruption. So far, however, he has only been hit with fines. The United States Justice Department has also seized some of his assets, including luxury cars, private jets and even Michael Jackson memorabilia. Again, however, he managed to reach an agreement with investigators, allowing him to carry on living a decadent lifestyle while millions in his country live on or below the poverty line.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
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