Authorities in the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea have announced that an investigation is underway to uncover an illicit network for issuing national passports to foreigners.
The country’s Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, said on Thursday that a growing number of foreigners are traveling abroad using Equatorial Guinea’s passport thanks to racketeers and corrupt manpower agents.
“The strategy is to obtain an Equatorial Guinean passport, travel to Brazil and acquire a Mexican visa. Once there, they enter the United States and seek asylum as political refugees. The network is made up of people of different nationalities,” Obiang said in a statement on his social media platforms early Thursday.
He stressed that the act is “unconstitutional” and “stains the reputation of our country.” Those involved in the production will be arrested and brought to justice, according to the Information and Press Office of Equatorial Guinea.
