Three Conservative MPs have faced criticism after accepting a £25,000 trip to Equatorial Guinea, funded by the country's dictatorial government. Nadine Dorries, Steve Baker, and Caroline Nokes visited the capital Malabo in a junket supported by the Triarius Foundation, which received a grant from the nation's government.
The trip occurred weeks before a report commissioned by the foundation concluded that human rights violations in the country were 'trivial'. During their stay, the MPs lodged at the five-star Sofitel Sipopo hotel, which boasts an 18-hole golf course and spa. Labour MP Paul Flynn described the trip as 'unbelievable', questioning why the MPs did not research the regime of President Teodoro Obiang, who has been in power since 1979 and has faced accusations of torture.
Steve Baker later expressed regret, stating he wished he had not gone, and described the country as 'governed extremely badly'. The Triarius Foundation's report, however, dismissed criticism of Equatorial Guinea as coming from pressure groups reliant on generating concern. It also praised the trial of four men executed for an alleged assassination attempt on President Obiang, a trial previously condemned internationally.
Amnesty International has reported severe restrictions on press freedom and routine torture by police and soldiers in Equatorial Guinea, where 70% of the 680,000 population live in poverty. The president's son has also been accused of spending $100m of state funds on personal luxuries.
