Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, who is also Equatorial Guinea's second vice president, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of corruption, money laundering and embezzlement. Obiang's lawyer, Emmanuel Marsigny, asked for a delay in the proceedings, arguing that his client was not given enough time to prepare a defense. It was unclear whether Obiang still was in France or had returned to Equatorial Guinea.
Marsigny said two months was insufficient to prepare a defense for a case that covered a 14-year period and to arrange testimony from witnesses living abroad. "Believe me, Mr. Nguema is not a big-time bandit," he said. "He just wants his rights observed."
Representing Transparency International, lawyer William Bourdon told the court that the trial should go as planned. He accused the defense of trying to "paralyze" the judicial system through a series of "opportunistic" and "malicious" maneuvers.
Equatorial Guinea argues that Obiang has diplomatic immunity, but the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest court, last month declined to order France to halt the prosecution. Obiang's trial came after two non-governmental organizations targeting corruption and an association of Congolese citizens living abroad launched a lawsuit in France nearly 10 years ago.
Known in France as the case of the "ill-gotten gains," the complaint claimed several African heads of state, including the late Gabon president Omar Bongo, embezzled state funds during or after their tenures to buy properties in France.
According to court documents, Obiang allegedly used millions of dollars in public money to stay in luxury Parisian palaces and later purchased a mansion located on one of the French capital's most sought-after avenues.
He also allegedly bought about 15 cars in France for 5.7 million euros (currently $6 million) and once splashed nearly 20 million euros at an arts auction. The case has put a spotlight on the lavish lifestyle of Obiang, whose father, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is Africa's longest-serving president. Equatorial Guinea is rich in oil and gas, but most of the country's population still lives in poverty.
The same cannot be said for the ruling elite. In 2011, French authorities seized assets from Obiang's Paris mansion that included Ferrari and Bugatti Veyron sports cars, expensive works of art and luxury suits and shoes.
The International Court of Justice, however, ruled that France must treat the Paris mansion as Equatorial Guinea's diplomatic mission. The French case is not the first time Obiang's opulent way of life has come under scrutiny.
In 2014, he reached a deal with United States authorities to sell a Malibu mansion, a Ferrari and a collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia to raise more than $30 million. The U.S. filed claims in 2011 against Obiang's U.S.-held assets worth more than $70 million, alleging they were the proceeds of corruption. Swiss authorities have also begun a preliminary investigation of Obiang.
Elaine Ganley contributed to this report.
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