Vice President of Equatorial Guinea leaves Salvador with arrest warrant.
Accused of "money laundering and misappropriation of foreign public funds" by the French justice system, he represented his country in a tribute paid by Ilê Aiyê during the Salvador carnival and threw lavish parties on the North Coast of Bahia; among the attractions in three rented mansions were Zeca Pagodinho and Diogo Nogueira, also from Rio de Janeiro.
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French justice issued an arrest warrant on Thursday (14) for Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of the president and vice president of Equatorial Guinea, after he failed to appear at a hearing on Wednesday in Paris, according to information from Le Monde.
Teodorin, whom French authorities accuse of money laundering and misappropriation of foreign public funds, had been summoned to testify in connection with the case concerning assets seized from African government officials, but failed to appear for the second time.
"Mr. Obiang benefits from immunity as Vice President of Equatorial Guinea and therefore could not accept a summons of this type," said Teodorin's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, adding that he had not been informed about the issuance of such a warrant.
"The arrest warrant is null and void because of Mr. Obiang's status, therefore it is a non-event," he added.
Mangue left Salvador on Thursday night, after officially representing his country at the carnival in the Bahian capital. On Saturday (9) he participated in the Ilê Aiyê procession, which had as its theme: "Equatorial Guinea - from pre-colonial heritage to the current generation", a tribute to the African country and its influence on Brazilian culture.
Alongside local artists and authorities, Mangue accompanied the departure of the bloco (carnival group) from Senzala do Barro Preto, on Ladeira do Curuzu, in the Liberdade neighborhood.
On Wednesday (13), the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea held a party in Busca Vida, a prime area on the North Coast of Bahia, located in the municipality of Lauro de Freitas, Metropolitan Region of Salvador (RMS). The singer Zeca Pagodinho entertained his guests.
The day before, on Tuesday night (12), another party in one of the three mansions rented by Teodorin featured a performance by the Rio de Janeiro singer and songwriter Diogo Nogueira.
The arrest warrant issued by Judge Roger Le Loire had been authorized last April by the Paris prosecutor's office.
According to the online edition of "Le Monde," the warrant allows for the arrest of the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea "throughout Europe" and provides for his extradition to France.