As it turns out, the four-month and ongoing trial between the Jackson family and AEG Live is not the most interesting trial involving pop star Michael Jackson currently on the market. That title would have to go to, and we are not making up this case name, "United States of America v. One White Crystal-Covered 'Bad Tour' Glove and Other Michael Jackson Memorabilia," which is now entering its 28th month.
The details here are as such: Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, the son of the President of Equatorial Guinea, bought roughly $300 million worth of stuff, among them a good deal of Jackson merchandise. The U.S. government suggests that as Mangue has a yearly salary of $100,000, perhaps some bank fraud has been committed on his end. Considering that more than 70 percent of Equatorial Guinea lives in poverty, the U.S. feels some need to combat the purchases.
However, the lawsuit's been ongoing because U.S. attorneys haven't been able to prove that Mangue broke any of his own country's laws, even if he did violate some American laws.
"The government still has not identified a single victim of extortion or bribery, or a specific instance of bid rigging," Mangue's attorneys explain. "Nor can it show that it attempted to corroborate any of the reports of illegal activity that were referenced in the newspaper or magazine articles that it heavily relies on. In short, all that the government has is evidence that Claimant spent money. Where the money came from is a matter of pure speculation. Accordingly, at the time it commenced this action, the government lacked probable cause to believe that the Defendant Assets were the proceeds of foreign corruption."
They may have a point. But don't expect the U.S. to give up that easily. Odds are this trial will go far longer than the Jackson Family/AEG Live show.
