Representatives of Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday asked the UN's highest court to issue an emergency halt on the sale of a luxury Paris mansion seized from the son of the African country's ruler while judges rule on the long-running dispute.
The building was seized after a French court convicted Teodoro Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, for embezzlement. He is the 57-year-old son of octogenarian President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
Equatorial Guinea argues that France must give back the mansion and other assets, telling the International Court of Justice on Tuesday that France would be violating a United Nations anti-corruption treaty by not returning the property.
It argues that the seized assets are part of the public funds that were embezzled from Equatorial Guinea and should be returned to the state under the treaty. It has not said who embezzled the funds.
"It has become clear that France is determined to sell the building," Equatorial Guinea's representative at the court, Carmelo Nvono-Nca, told judges. France's attitude was paternalistic and neo-colonial, he added.
France called the case unfounded and told judges on Tuesday that there are no imminent plans to sell the property.
"We cannot but regret Equatorial Guinea's misuse of this emergency procedure, as there is nothing in the present case that justifies the court's use of its exceptional power" to order an emergency halt to any sale, Diego Colas, legal adviser at the French ministry of foreign affairs, told judges.
A ruling on Equatorial Guinea's request for an emergency halt to the sale is expected in the coming weeks.
Equatorial Guinea and France have been at odds over the building on the prestigious Avenue Foch in Paris since a 2012 raid on the residence then used by Teodorin Obiang. The president's presumed successor, Teodorin Obiang has also been the subject of investigations, criminal charges, sanctions and asset seizures in the US and UK over embezzlement and money-laundering.
Obiang has always denied wrongdoing and argued that French courts had no right to rule on his assets. In a previous ICJ case Equatorial Guinea had argued the seized building was actually part of the African country's diplomatic mission, but the World Court ruled in favour of France in 2020
Reuters
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