The building was seized after a French court convicted Teodoro Obiang Mangue, known as Teodorin, for embezzlement.

He is the 57-year-old son of octogenarian president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

Equatorial Guinea argues that France must give back the mansion and other assets, telling the International Court of Justice today that France would be violating a United Nations anti-corruption treaty by not returning the property.

It argues that the seized assets are part of the public funds that were embezzled from Equatorial Guinea and should be returned to the state under the treaty.

It has not said who embezzled the funds.

“It has become clear that France is determined to sell the building,” Equatorial Guinea’s representative at the court, Carmelo Nvono-Nca, told judges.

France’s attitude was paternalistic and neo-colonial, he added.

France will make its case later today.

The ruling on Equatorial Guinea’s request for an emergency halt to the sale is expected in the coming weeks.

Equatorial Guinea and France have been at odds over the building on the prestigious Avenue Foch in Paris since a 2012 raid on the residence then used by Teodorin Obiang.

The president’s presumed successor, Teodorin Obiang has also been the subject of investigations, criminal charges, sanctions and asset seizures in the US and Britain over embezzlement and money-laundering.

Obiang has always denied wrongdoing and argued that French courts had no right to rule on his assets.

In a previous ICJ case Equatorial Guinea had argued the seized building was actually part of the African country’s diplomatic mission, but the World Court ruled in favour of France in 2020.