Mann, Thatcher and the failed coup
On the second of November, British citizen Simon Mann was released from Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea. He served just two years of a 34-year sentence. Mann, 57, was found guilty of attempting to carry out a coup d’etat of the small but oil-rich African state in 2007.
The “wonga coup” (wonga is slang for money), as it was nicknamed in the British press, became infamous for several reasons, not least because Mann implicated Sir Mark Thatcher, the former PM’s son. He also claimed that the Spanish, British and South African governments knew about the coup.
Scapegoat?
Mann has always claimed that he was the scapegoat for the main players – Sir Mark Thatcher and British-Lebanese oil trader Eli Calil. In February 2008, Mann was extradited to Equatorial Guinea where he stood trial. During his testimony he is said to have implicated Thatcher and Calil as the two main men behind the plot.
Thatcher was arrested in 2004 for his part in the failed coup; donating money which had been used to purchase a helicopter. He denied all knowledge of the plot, claiming he was an unwitting donor. He struck a plea bargain and got off with a suspended sentence and a hefty fine.
Two weeks ago, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema granted Simon Mann a presidential pardon citing humanitarian grounds. Insiders have suggested that Mann struck a deal with the President to secure his release by revealing the names of all those behind the plot.
His return to the UK sparked a lot of media speculation. In an interview with Channel 4 News in April, he alleged that the plot had tacit approval from Spain and South Africa.
Mann shocked the press and public when he said that he will testify in a court of law against Thatcher. “As far as I’m concerned, I am very anxious that Calil, Thatcher and one or two of the others, should face justice”
Road to ruin
Simon Mann has held a number of positions in his life: soldier, Special Air Services (SAS) officer, computer security expert and businessman. But it was his role as a mercenary that launched this story of international conspiracy and scandal.
Son of an English cricket team captain, Mann attended the privileged public school Eton, followed by the royal military academy Sandhurst. Upon graduation Mann entered the Scots Guards before becoming an SAS commando.
He left the military in 1981to work in computer security and later in the oil industry, where he first met oil executive and former SAS officer Tony Buckingham. It was after this meeting that Mann first became embroiled in the shady world of mercenary activity.
Buckingham and Mann set up private security company Executive Outcomes in the early nineties, securing a lucrative contract to protect oil installations during the Angolan war. The company offered guns, guards and advice to businesses operating in hostile environments.
In 1996, Mann set up another security company, Sandline International, with ex-Scot’s Guard Tim Spicer. Based in London, it proved highly profitable though controversial. The business was often in the press due to its involvement in
conflicts in Papua New Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Arrest
Mann’s mercenary activities came to a grinding halt in 2004. On March 7, a Boeing 707, filled with weapons, equipment and a small army of South African mercenaries led by Simon Mann stopped off at Harare Airport, Zimbabwe.
The men were arrested and charged with attempting a coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea amongst other charges. Mann denied these, stating that they were on their way to the Democratic Republic of Congo to offer security services to diamond mining company JPL. Mann was found guilty of planning to buy arms for the alleged coup in August of that year and sentenced to seven years imprisonment.
- Simon Mann on his release from prison
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