A French court handed down a three- year suspended jail term today to the son of Equatorial Guinea's leader, Teodorin Obiang, after convicting him of using public money to fund a jet-set lifestyle in Paris.
The 48-year-old vice president of the small west African state, who was tried in absentia, was also given a suspended fine of USD 35 million by judges for embezzlement, money laundering, corruption and abuse of trust.
The case, which was sparked by two anti-corruption NGOs, is the first of three involving families of African leaders which campaigners hope signals a new willingness of French authorities to tackle money laundering.
Paris has long been a favoured destination for the ill- gotten gains of wealthy figures linked to political leaders in Africa, particularly in France's former colonies.
"Every year billions of euros are embezzled to fund the profligate lifestyle of a few corrupt leaders abroad, particularly in France," anti-corruption group Transparency International said ahead of the ruling.
Obiang is estimated to have used France to launder 150 million euros in misappropriated funds.
His lawyers slammed the ruling as an "activist decision" and said they were considering an appeal, while some in his home country, an oil-rich but impoverished nation of around 750,000 people, thought the punishment was too lenient.
By suspending the sentences, the court has opened the way for Obiang to return to France without facing arrest. Only if he re-offends would he face jail time or have to pay the fine.
The judges said the ruling was meant "mainly as a warning" to the defendant.
They criticised France's central bank and the Societe Generale bank for their handling of Obiang's affairs, saying they had given him cause to think there was "a form of tolerance" in France for money laundering.
Speaking to AFP in the capital of Equatorial Guinea, Malabo, opposition lawmaker Placido Mico said the sentence had "not lived up to expectations."
"It's unacceptable that African leaders use the people's money to live it up in Europe while the population at home dies of hunger."
The families of late Gabonese leader Omar Bongo and the Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso are also under investigation for embezzlement.
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