Combating Organized Crime in Equatorial Guinea: Challenges and Concerns

Equatorial Guinea has made efforts to combat organized crime, but several challenges and concerns have been highlighted in recent reports.

Corruption: A Major Obstacle

• Pervasive corruption: Corruption affects all levels of institutions, including law enforcement, judiciary, and government officials.
• Undermining anti-corruption efforts: Corruption undermines the effectiveness of anti-corruption efforts, making it difficult to combat organized crime.

Limited Institutional Independence

• Judicial system limitations: The judicial system is not independent, with the president serving as chief magistrate.
• Limited ability to combat organized crime: This limitation hinders the judicial system’s ability to effectively combat organized crime.

Law Enforcement Presence and Capacity

• Limited law enforcement presence: Law enforcement has a limited presence in major cities and rural areas.
• Difficulty in countering trafficking and other forms of organized crime: This makes it challenging for law enforcement to counter trafficking and other forms of organized crime.

Support for Victims

• Inadequate victim support: There are no specialized units or mechanisms to provide support to victims of trafficking.
• Lack of services for identified victims: Those who have been identified as victims are not provided with the services mandated by law.

International Cooperation

• Weak international cooperation: International law enforcement cooperation in relation to money laundering is weak.
• Investigations into Equatoguinean officials: Foreign authorities have investigated Equatoguinean officials for money laundering and corruption.

Overall, Equatorial Guinea faces significant challenges in combating organized crime due to a lack of independence in its institutions, pervasive corruption, limited law enforcement presence, inadequate victim support, and limited international cooperation.