Equatorial Guinea lashed the French judiciary for "meddling" in its affairs after a Paris court handed the son of its president a three-year suspended term and USD 32.9 million fine for embezzlement.
Teodorin Obiang, the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, had been found guilty in 2017 of looting his country's coffers to fund a jet-set lifestyle in Europe.
On Monday, an appeals court in Paris upheld a suspended jail term, confirmed a 30-million-euro fine that had previously been suspended and confiscated his assets.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, Equatorial Guinea's government accused the court of "unacceptable meddling" in its domestic affairs, and pointed the finger at "several NGOs", which it did not name, for stirring up the matter.
These groups, it said, "have been making false accusations for years about corruption and money laundering, driven by the sole desire to destabilise our country."
The government communique said Equatorial Guinea "reserves the right to pursue any action under civilian and penal law under the highest international jurisdictions to seek redress for the damage caused."
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