Equatorial Guinea Sues France Over Paris Mansion

Equatorial Guinea Sues France Over Paris Mansion Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea filed a complaint against France at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the weekend, the latest round of litigation between the two nations over a luxury Paris mansion seized by French authorities because of corruption, France 24 reported. The West African nation asked the United Nations’ top court to intervene after French police allegedly entered the property and changed the locks last month. It asked the court not to sell the building and demanded “immediate, complete and unhindered access” to it. The years-long dispute centers on the mansion located on the upscale Avenue Foch near the Arc de Triomphe in the French capital. Estimated to be worth more than $118 million, the property features a private cinema, a hammam steam bath, and gold-plated fixtures. In 2021, French authorities confiscated the property after the country’s top appeals court convicted Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue – also known as Teodorin – under a law targeting fortunes fraudulently amassed by foreign leaders. The court handed Teodorin – son of long-standing President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – a three-year suspended sentence and more than $35 million in fines. If it accepts the case, it would be the second time the ICJ would decide on a suit centering on the mansion: In 2016, Equatorial Guinea brought a case before the court, claiming that the building has served as the country’s embassy. It also accused France of violating the Vienna Convention, which safeguards diplomats from interference by host countries. But France countered that the mansion served no diplomatic purpose and that Teodorin was using it as his private residence. The world court sided with France in the case, saying the African nation only tried to designate it as a diplomatic venue after an investigation began into the vice president. While the ICJ’s rulings are binding, the court has no enforcement mechanism and remains occupied with a growing caseload, including cases on Gaza and climate change.