Busted!! Shameful As 11 Supercars Worth Over £5 million Are Being Seized From This African Dictator’s Paris Mansion(Photos)

Eleven supercars worth up to £5 million have been seized from outside an African dictator’s Paris mansion as part of a foreign aid money-laundering investigation.

The vehicles, which included two Bugatti Veyrons, a Ferrari 599 GTO and a Maserati MC12 are all registered to Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president of Equatorial Guinea.

He is one of numerous African heads of state who regularly receive vast handouts in foreign aid – including British cash via European funding.

 Among the 11 supercars siezed were Maseratis, two limited edition Bugatti Veyrons, Ferraris, Porsches and Rolls Royces

‘This Maserati MC12, and the other supercars, were seized as part of an ongoing investigation into Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the president of Equatorial Guinea

Two officials stand by as the Maserati is lined up to drive aboard a lorry to take it away

Police swooped on his £15 million mansion on the prestigious Avenue Foch, close to the Arc de Triomphe, this morning, piling all of the vehicles on to a car transporter.

They are all thought to be ‘ill-gotten gains’ bought so as to hide huge amounts of cash smuggled into France from Africa, said a police source.

‘There is an on-going judicial investigation into money laundering and other crimes related to the receipt of foreign aid,’ the source added. ‘These seizures have resulted from this enquiry.’

The cars, which all appeared to be new, also included an Aston Martin V8 600lm, Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, a Porsche Carrera GT, and a Ferrari Enzo, as well as various Bentleys.

This Porsche Carrera GT worth a reported £350,000 was one of several cars repossessed

Under investigation: President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, above left, was not present as the cars were taken away, but a staff member told police most of the vehicles were ‘mainly used by his son, Teodorin Obiang’

The Supreme Court of France has appointed an investigating judge to conduct a judicial inquiry into claims that Obiang Nguema has used state funds to purchase property include the Avenue Foch house.

Equatorial Guinea is oil rich, but poverty remains rife and there are regular allegations of high-level corruption, especially by Obiang Nguema and his eldest son, Teodorin.

All of the cars have been impounded and – if the Obiang Nguemas are unable to get them back – they are likely to be auctioned.

Obiang Nguema six-floor period building is used by his family on shopping trips to France, while Obiang Nguema – who came to power in a bloody 1979 coup – prefers to occupy a 2,000 pounds -plus-a-night suite at the Plaza Athenee Hotel, off the Champs Elysee.

The astonishing details are in a report handed to Paris prosecutors by
anti-corruption groups Transparency International and Sherpa.