Thatcher son charged in alleged coup attempt

Published on 25/08/2004 09:49

THE SON of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was arrested and charged Wednesday with helping to finance a foiled coup attempt in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

Sir Mark Thatcher, a 51-year-old businessman, was arrested at his Cape Town home and brought before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court to be charged with violating South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act.

Sir Mark, who has lived in South Africa since 2002, was placed under house arrest and has until Sept. 8 to post bail of 2 million rand (175,000).

Police with search warrants raided Sir Mark’s home in the suburb of Constantia Wednesday morning. He was held there while investigators searched his records and computers for evidence linking him to the alleged plot to overthrow Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang, which authorities claim was foiled in March.

"We have evidence, credible evidence, and information that he was involved in the attempted coup," said police spokesman Sipho Ngwema. "We refuse that South Africa be a springboard for coups in Africa and elsewhere."

In a bizarre development, Sir Mark’s court appearance was delayed when he was robbed in a crowded holding cell. His shoes, jacket and phone were taken, according to a court official who witnessed the attack. Sir Mark did not appear to have been injured and police were trying to recover the items, the official said.

It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader of the alleged coup attempt. He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.

The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country’s massive oil reserves after overthrowing President Teodoro Obiang and installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.

Mann is one of 70 defendants held in Zimbabwe while another 19 people are on trial in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea. These include South African arms dealer Nick du Toit, who told the court on Tuesday that his co-accused in Malabo were never told what they were being recruited for.

Du Toit says foreign financiers plotted the coup. He faces possible execution and his co-defendants prison sentences of up to 86 years.

The country announced as their trials opened on Monday that it would seek du Toit’s execution, contrary to earlier promises that no death penalties would be pursued.

A 90th defendant, a German, died in prison in Equatorial Guinea after what Amnesty International said was suspected torture.

The 19 defendants in Malabo are charged with attempting to assassinate a head of state, illegal possession of arms and explosives, terrorism, treason and endangering the public.

Verdicts in their cases are expected on Saturday.

Equatorial Guinea pumps approximately 350,000 barrels of oil a day. It has become Africa’s third-largest oil producer since offshore development began in the mid-1990s.

The country has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt.

President Obiang has ruled the isolated nation with an iron fist since executing the former dictator – his uncle – in 1979.