Government lawyers displayed a contract in court on Friday as proof that British ex-military officer Simon Mann played a key role in a plot to overthrow Equatorial Guinea’s president four years ago.
Mann identified his signature on the contract — also signed by the opposition leader who would allegedly be installed as president — and on financial statements and other documents as his trial entered a fourth day.
Mann (55) is accused of planning to topple President Teodoro Obiang, the long-time dictator of Africa’s third-biggest oil producer.
Prosecutors say Mann was the ringleader of a coup plot financed by Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The government says Mann hoped to install exiled opposition leader Severo Moto, who would give them access to the tiny nation’s oil wealth.
Mann’s lawyer said on Friday that a verdict was not likely before next week, even if court proceedings finished by the end of the day. The trial has already been extended past the three days originally predicted by officials.
Government-appointed defence attorney Jose Pablo Nvo said the three-judge panel would need time to deliberate, possibly days. He did not rule out the possibility of an appeal if Mann was convicted, but would not comment further. ”Let us see the sentence first,” he said.
Mann has testified that he knowingly agreed to take part in the coup and apologised for his role, but maintained that he was not a key member of the plot. He said Nigerian-born British businessman Eli Calil, who has denied involvement, headed the operation and stood to wield significant power in the new administration.
Mann also said that Thatcher was not only a financier but also an integral part of the group. Thatcher pleaded guilty in a South African court several years ago to unwittingly helping bankroll the operation. He was fined and given a suspended sentence.
Mann was extradited to Spanish-speaking Equatorial Guinea in January from Zimbabwe, where he had already served about four years in prison. The extradition agreement prohibits the death penalty, but Mann could face 30 years in prison if convicted.
Lebanese businessman Mohamed Salaam and six Equatorial Guineans are also defendants in the trial. Salaam is facing a prison term of 28 years if convicted, and the Equatorial Guineans each face four-year terms. Two other Equatorial Guineans were also charged but one has since died and the other was set free for lack of evidence.
Equatorial Guinea has been working to prosecute those involved in the alleged coup plot since soon after the 2004 arrest of Mann and a planeload of 70 others in Zimbabwe, where they are said to have flown to collect weapons bought from Zimbabwe’s state arms manufacturer.
The first trial, in August 2004, resulted in a 34-year prison sentence for South African arms dealer Nick du Toit.
Rights groups have said past trials were flawed and partial, with detainees allegedly tortured in jail and the prosecution offering bribes and inducements for defendants willing to incriminate others.
Equatorial Guinea has enormous oil reserves but many of its people remain poor. Obiang seized control of the nation in a 1979 coup and his government is considered to be among the continent’s worst violators of human rights. — Sapa-AP