The government of Equatorial Guinea has filled a fresh legal at the International Court of Justice to avert the confiscation of a luxury mansion and other assets by France.

The Paris mansion was seized after Equatorial Guinea’s vice-president and son of President, Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, was convicted of embezzling public funds on lavish lifestyle.

The initial appeal was quashed by the ICJ which upheld the court’s decision last year.

Obiang is the son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who is Africa’s longest-serving leader having been in power in the oil-rich state since 1979 and appointed his son as his deputy in 2012.

The vice-president, 54, is notorious for his extravagant lifestyle and purchases in the West. Obiang denied the charges, saying his wealth had come from legitimate sources, and sought to unsuccessfully block the confiscation of the mansion on appeal.

This fresh case against France is the latest attempt by Equatorial Guinea with allegation that France has violated its obligations under the United Nations convention against corruption, according to the ICJ.

Assets have also been confiscated from Obiang in the US, Brazil and Switzerland. He was also subjected to anti-corruption sanctions in the UK last year.