EG Justice is deeply concerned by reports and a video that purports to show American television personality Jay Leno recently hosting Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, at his private car collection in California.
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Mr. Nguema Obiang Mangue — commonly known as Teodorín — has been implicated in multiple international corruption and money-laundering cases. Courts and law enforcement authorities in the United States, France, Switzerland, South Africa, and Brazil have documented that he used public funds to amass luxury assets abroad, including multi-million-dollar mansions, yachts, supercars, and a large collection of Michael Jackson memorabilia.
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice seized over $30 million in assets linked to his illicit enrichment. In 2021, French courts upheld his criminal conviction for embezzlement and money laundering, sentencing him to a suspended prison term and confiscating €150 million in assets.
EG Justice is particularly concerned that the US Department of State allowed Mr. Nguema Obiang Mangue, a known kleptocrat convicted in multiple jurisdictions — including the United States, where his assets were confiscated — to travel to California. Such travel extends far beyond the limited geographic boundaries typically granted to foreign officials attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Allowing a known kleptocrat under long-standing corruption sanctions to move freely across the country undermines America’s commitment to accountability and the rule of law, and sends a troubling signal of impunity to corrupt regimes worldwide,” said Tutu Alicante, Executive Director of EG Justice. “The legal cases against Teodorin represent only a fraction of the systemic corruption that has impoverished the people of Equatorial Guinea while the ruling elite lives in extreme opulence. Teodorin’s public appearances abroad, including at celebrity venues, serve to whitewash his reputation and distract from his government’s ongoing record of human-rights abuses, censorship, and political repression.”
EG Justice calls on all public figures, cultural institutions, and private citizens to exercise ethical due diligence when engaging with officials credibly accused of corruption and rights violations. Hosting such individuals without context risks normalizing impunity and undermining global anti-corruption efforts.
We urge Mr. Leno and his team to clarify the nature of this visit and to publicly reaffirm their commitment to transparency, good governance, and respect for human rights.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tutu Alicante
tutu@egjustice.org
(615) 479 0207
www.egjustice.org