World · Europe · 1 hr ago
France and Equatorial Guinea clash over Paris mansion used as embassy
France is trying to sell a luxury mansion in Paris that has served as Equatorial Guinea’s embassy for 15 years.
The country’s diplomats are still in the building and have refused a court order to leave.
French authorities seized the property in a case involving Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, Equatorial Guinea’s vice president and the son of its long-serving president.
French courts found that his spending did not match his official income and sentenced him in 2021 to a suspended prison term and a fine.
Equatorial Guinea’s government has called the sale illegal and warned it could retaliate, including by breaking diplomatic ties.
The dispute could also affect French cooperation with Equatorial Guinea, including a joint naval school and French facilities in the country.
Equatorial Guinea took the case to the International Court of Justice, which has twice ruled in France’s favor, but the diplomats have yet to vacate the mansion.
France has put a Paris mansion used as Equatorial Guinea’s embassy up for sale after it was seized in an investigation into ill-gotten wealth.
Equatorial Guinea’s diplomats have refused a court order to leave the building, and the two countries are warning of further action.
The mansion at 42 Avenue Foch has more than 100 rooms and has served as the embassy for 15 years.
Equatorial Guinea’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, condemned the sale as illegal and warned of possible retaliation.
- Who
- France and Equatorial Guinea are in a dispute over the property. The mansion was formerly owned by Equatorial Guinea’s vice president, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.
- What
- France has put the mansion up for sale, while Equatorial Guinea’s diplomats have refused to leave.
- When
- The building was put up for sale in June. The dispute was reported on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- 42 Avenue Foch in Paris’s 16th arrondissement.
- Why
- France seized the property as part of an investigation into ill-gotten wealth. Equatorial Guinea objects to the sale and says it may retaliate.
France
Equatorial Guinea
Property sale
France
French authorities put the mansion up for sale as part of an investigation into ill-gotten wealth.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea’s vice president called the forced sale illegal.
Occupancy
France
A Paris court ordered the diplomats to vacate the premises.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea’s diplomats have refused to leave.
Possible response
France
France has warned of further action, according to the article.
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea has warned it could take sovereign measures, including breaking diplomatic relations.
The building became Equatorial Guinea’s embassy.
The building was formally confiscated after Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue was sentenced by French courts.
French authorities put the property up for sale, and Nguema Obiang Mangue condemned the forced sale.
An interested bidder visiting the mansion was turned away by the military attaché.
- Address
- 42 Avenue Foch, Paris
- Building size
- More than 100 rooms
- Embassy use began
- 2011
- Court sentence
- Three years suspended imprisonment and a €30 million fine
- French embassy land
- A plot in Malabo is available to France free of charge for a renewable 50-year term
- Naval school
- Joint venture at the port of Tica
What people are saying
illegal
sovereign
For France, having been ousted from everywhere else in the Sahel, nurturing its military cooperation with Equatorial Guinea ought to be a priority,
They [the authorities] could very well say: 'We'll do what Mali did – shut down Tica and replace you with the Russians.'
Sources
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