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British 'Dog of War' On Trial: Simon Mann - Notorious Coup Plot Facing Life Sentence

June 18, 2008

British mercenary Simon Mann, one of Africa's last "dogs of war", went on trial in Equatorial Guinea on Tuesday and the prosecution asked he be jailed for nearly 32 years for his role in a failed 2004 coup plot.

Looking pale and gaunt in his grey prison uniform, Mann, 55, sat quietly but defiantly as Public Prosecutor Jose Olo Obono described how he plotted to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in the small, oil-rich west African nation.

The defence lawyer for Mann, who is an Eton-educated former special forces officer, said that while his client was part of the coup plot he was a "mere instrument", not a main organiser.

Obiang has ruled the former Spanish colony since 1979.

After the prosecution and defence cases were heard, the trial was adjourned until Wednesday.

The prosecutor said foreign investors had supported and helped organise the coup plot. Among them, he named Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Mark Thatcher, who is not on trial in Malabo, has denied knowing about the plot.

Mann was arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 with 70 mercenaries en route to Equatorial Guinea. He was extradited from Zimbabwe to Malabo earlier this year.

Soldiers wearing black helmets and carrying machine-guns guarded the marble-walled conference centre where the hearing was being held in the steamy Equatorial Guinea capital Malabo.

Prosecutor Olo Obono asked the court to sentence Mann to a cumulative jail term of 31 years and eight months on charges of crimes against the head of state, crimes against the government and crimes against the peace and independence of the state.

"The aim of the plot was to replace President Teodoro Obiang Nguema with opponent Severo Moto, without discounting the possibility of assassinating him (the president)," he said.

Under the extradition deal with Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea's authorities had agreed not to seek the death penalty against Mann, who said in a British TV interview broadcast in March that he conspired to oust Obiang.

In rebuttal to the charges, Mann's defence lawyer Jose Pablo Nvo said his client was not among the principal planners of the coup.

"The organisation of the coup could have taken place without Mann. He was a mere instrument," he said.

Journalists and ambassadors

The prosecution case accused Mark Thatcher of being part of the organisation of the coup, along with other investors.

He was accused of paying the equivalent of $300 000 to be used mainly to purchase a helicopter to transport Moto from exile in Spain to Malabo, once Obiang was overthrown.

Equatorial Guinean authorities have said Mann has testified that Thatcher knew all about the scheme to topple the government of sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest oil producer.

But Thatcher, who was arrested in 2004 by South African police at his Cape Town home on suspicion of bankrolling the plot, said he thought he was financing the helicopter for an air ambulance service but did not know about any coup conspiracy.

He was released after pleading guilty under a plea bargain deal with South African authorities.

Tuesday's trial proceedings were held in Spanish without translation. Mann, who does not speak Spanish, sat throughout with his hands resting on his lap, his chin held high.

Asked by reporters at the end of the hearing if he thought he was getting a fair trial he replied "No comment".

Journalists and ambassadors were allowed into the courtroom. But the reporters had to leave their cameras, mobile phones, notepads and pens outside and were also made to exchange their shoes for flip-flops.

Mann is being held in Malabo's notorious Black Beach prison. He told reporters his jail conditions were "fine".

London's Guardian newspaper quoted President Obiang as saying there was the possibility of negotiations to allow Mann to serve part of his prison sentence in Britain.

Mann is the heir to a brewing fortune who attended Britain's exclusive Eton College and served in Britain's elite Special Air Service (SAS) regiment.

His arrest ended the career of one of the last prominent "dogs of war" still active in Africa.

Mann helped found two security firms that became bywords for mercenary activity across Africa in the 1990s, Executive Outcomes and Sandline International.

Eleven other men are already serving sentences in Equatorial Guinea in connection with the alleged plot.

Source: esinislam.com + Agencies

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