EQUATORIAL GUINEA:THE SON of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was a leader of a 2004 coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea that was backed by Spain and South Africa, a British mercenary told a court yesterday.
Former special forces officer Simon Mann testified that Mark Thatcher was "not just an investor" in the plot, but one of a five- man group headed by London-based Lebanese millionaire Eli Calil, who he said masterminded and bankrolled the conspiracy.
"He [Thatcher] came on board completely and became part of the management team," Mr Mann told the court in the island capital.
He added that Mr Thatcher invested some $350,000 in the March 2004 operation, which was foiled when authorities in Zimbabwe arrested Mr Mann and 70 mercenaries at Harare airport.
Public prosecutor Jose Olo Obono said the next step after the trial, likely to end next week, was to seek the extradition of Mr Thatcher and Mr Calil. -