Mark Thatcher has won a reprieve from a South African court order that he testify under oath about his alleged involvement in a plot to stage a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, his lawyer said on Monday.
State prosecutors have asked a Cape Town court to delay the testimony scheduled for Wednesday, when the son of a British former prime minister was to answer questions put to him by the Malabo goverment, lawyer Ron Wheeldon said.
”My team in Cape Town, which is handling the case, have been informed that the matter will be postponed,” said Wheeldon.
”This means that the proposed hearing on Wednesday is going to be postponed,” said Wheeldon, adding that a new court date would probably be set for the end of October.
Laywers representing Thatcher are to go before the Cape Town High Court on Tuesday to challenge the subpoena ordering the 51-year-old Briton to appear in court to answer the questions.
Thatcher was arrested on August 25 in Cape Town and charged with bankrolling the plot to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for 25 years.
The businessman is due to appear in court on November 25 to answer charges of violating South Africa’s anti-mercenary law. – Sapa-AFP