E Guinea court sentences Briton Mann to 34 years (coup plot)

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

MALABO (AFP) - A Malabo court sentenced British mercenary Simon Mann to 34 years and four months in prison on Monday for leading an abortive coup in Equatorial Guinea.

Mann was arrested in March 2004 along with 61 other suspected coup plotters when their plane landed in Zimbabwe. Mann also implicated Mark Thatcher, the son of Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, in the plot.

The court fined Mann 100 million CFA francs (150,000 euros or 235,000 dollars) and ordered that he be barred from entering Equatorial Guinea's territory for a further 20 years after his sentence is served.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080707/wl_afp/eguineabritaincouptrialsentence_080707172839

[Igel]

1. Rather a pity there wasn't a coup.

But of course, that Mugabe would extradite Mann and the others was a given: A despot needs to help his fellow despot against fellow non-black/non-"socialist" forces that threaten to disrupt an annual 10- or 11-digit annual income.


Mugabe's finally gotten arguably worse than Mbasogo, but it's taken him a while. At least Mbasogo isn't as bad as his predecessor.

[AlphaCentauri]

2. E Guinea court sentences British mercenary to 34 years

Source: AP

MALABO (AFP) — A Malabo court sentenced British mercenary Simon Mann to 34 years and four months in prison on Monday for leading an abortive coup in Equatorial Guinea.

Mann, 55, was arrested in March 2004 along with 61 other suspected coup plotters when their plane landed in Zimbabwe. Mann also implicated Mark Thatcher, the son of Britain's former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, in the plot to oust President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Mann said after Friday's verdict that he did not know whether he would appeal the sentence.

"I don't know how it works here. Maybe you can appeal, I don't know," he said, when questioned by Britain's Channel 4 television news.

But he appeared to feel ready to endure his sentence, citing time he had already spent in a Zimbabwean jail.

"I'll just have to push it," he said. "At least I know now I can push it, after four years in Zimbabwe."



Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhzXoeiKkhq8Su1t7GUgQX_Yh7bw

[rpannier]

3. It's a coup I would wholeheartedly support

If it wasn't a fascist (Thatcher) trying to overthrow a murderous dictator Mbasogo.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Jeez. I remember this. Thanks for this information. n/t

[sourmilk]

5. Go figure that the money man, Thatcher, walks free...

But...but...but...I thought it was a HUMANITARIAN mission...

What a JOKE.