Equatorial Guinea/Britain

Pardoned mercenary arrives back in Britain

Article published on the 2009-11-04 Latest update 2009-11-04 15:26 TU

Simon Mann, July 2008
(Photo: AFP)

British mercenary Simon Mann, who was arrested in 2004 for a failed coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, has arrived back in Britain after being pardoned. South African Nick du Toit, Sergio Cardoso, Jose Sundays and George Alerson were also pardoned for their 2004 bid to oust President Teodori Obiang Nguema.

"This is the most wonderful homecoming I could ever have imagined," he said in the statement read out by a spokesman, adding that he was "hugely grateful" to President Teodora Obiang Nguema for pardoning him.

"It's the best, best early Christmas present my family and I could ever possibly have imagined," the statement added.

"I am especially looking forward to meeting my son Arthur, who was born a few months after I left the country and who consequently I have never seen," it continued.

Mann, along with the other three leaders, had initially been jailed for 34 years each for their role in the plot. They were initially arrested with 61 other people in Zimbabwe when their plane landed in march 2004.

The 61 others were released in 2005 while they spent four years in a Zimbabwe prison on firearm charges before being deported to Equatorial Guinea.

West African political analyst in London, Kissy Agyeman-Togobo told RFI, Mann’s cooperation with Guinean authorities was perhaps one of the reasons why he was pardoned.

“Whilst he’s been in prison, reports have suggested that Simon Mann has been extremely cooperative with the authorities on shedding more light on what happened back in 2004 on the coup plot and they will want to follow up on these leads.

"Simon may have helped them in the course of being in prison.”

The official line is that he has been released because he is unwell after and was operated for a hernia. 

“We mustn’t forget we are three weeks away from elections in Equatorial Guinea," says Kissy Agyeman-Togobo.

"And presumably the government is wanting to understand better potential threats to the government and the presidential authorities as to covert networks that could potentially destabilise the system. 

“During his trial, Simon was very vocal in naming and shaming a few people he considered to be key instruments of this coup plot.” 

Amongst those implicated were Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who pleaded guilty in a South African court to helping finance the plan.

Mann, who attended prestigious British public school Eton as well as the Sandhurst military academy, was alleged to be the brains behind the coup which aimed to bring back exiled opposition leader Severo Moto to power.

He is thought to have used his "old boy networks" to finance the plot.

Agyeman-Togobo says Mann could now face a legal investigation in the UK for his role in the plot.

“Whilst Simon was in prison he was interviewed on a few occasions by Scotland Yard and the crown prosecution might very well want to bring charges against him because...it looks like Simon Mann and his accomplices were plotting this coup from London which means he could eventually be tried under terrorism legislation.

"It's quite possible that if there is enough compelling evidence he will be questioned again.”

With its large offshore oil deposits that were only discovered in the early 1990s, Equatorial Guinea, which is largely impoverished, is Africa's third biggest oil producer after Nigeria and Angola.