Under fire: Lebanese millionaire who seems to know everybody

[seemslikeadream]

By Jonathan Brown
27 August 2004


It is a trail of black gold that stretches from the gilded mansions of Cape Town and London to the jails and oilfields of Africa. It is a plot ever more intriguing, its characters increasingly well known.

But one man finds himself facing questions that grow harder with each passing day. For Ely Calil, owner of a £12m Palladian mansion just off Chelsea's Kings Road, is a man under siege. The notoriously private Lebanese multimillionaire is accused of being at the centre of the plot to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea, a dirt-poor, oil-rich state on Africa's west coast.

Lawyers acting for the country's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, are seeking millions of pounds in compensation and costs from Mr Calil in a legal action due to be brought in London. The High Court writ, seen by The Independent, is issued in the name of President Obiang and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. It names Mr Calil, along with two companies - Logo Limited and Systems Design Limited - and two other Britons, Greg Wales and Simon Mann. It also names the exiled leader Severo Moto.

..........

The Elf scandal spawned France's biggest ever corruption trial. Last year, the former chairman of Elf, Loik Le Floch-Prigent, who was appointed by President Mitterrand, was jailed for five years after an eight-year investigation into the siphoning off of some £200m before the company was privatised in 1994. Mr Calil was arrested in Paris in connection with the probe but released on appeal. The allegations are still under review by the French authorities.

more
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=555538

[ClintonTyree]

1. What does someone's.............

sexual orientation have to do with this story?

Oh, that's "Lebanese"................never mind.

[emad]

2. Equatorial Guinea seeks Thatcher extradition

AP
27 August 2004

Snip from Daily Mail

The government of Equatorial Guinea has asked South Africa to extradite Mark Thatcher, son of the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who is under house arrest for his alleged role in a coup plot against Equatorial Guinea.A lawyer for the government, Lucie Bourthoumieu, said today that Equatorial Guinea has "strong hopes" of achieving the extradition.

Snip from Independent:

Thatcher: the net tightens

Witness set to hand key documents to South African investigators
By Kim Sengupta and Jonathan Brown
27 August 2004


A computer expert in possession of a list which reveals the identities of the rich and influential figures who allegedly backed the Equatorial Guinea coup plot has become an important witness for the prosecution.The Independent has learnt that James Kershaw is preparing to give evidence in South Africa in any future trial of Sir Mark Thatcher, who is accused of involvement in an alleged plot to depose the president of the oil-rich west African state.

Mr Kershaw, 24, is believed to be in possession of what has become known as the "Wonga List" - details of people, including public figures in Britain, who allegedly bankrolled an attempt by mercenaries to overthrow the regime of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and replace it with members of exiled opposition groups.It is claimed that in return the backers would have been paid millions of pounds by the new government, as well as landing lucrative oil contracts.The decision by Mr Kershaw to do a deal with the police means the secret "Wonga List" is now likely to be in the hands of the South African authorities, and details of those involved in the alleged coup plot are likely to emerge in the near future.

South African police officials said yesterday they were examining all the evidence obtained so far, and anticipated further arrests. They have refused to rule out seeking arrests and the extradition of suspects from Britain.Mr Kershaw, who was born in South Africa but holds a British passport, has been named in court by a number of the arrested mercenaries as one of the recruiters in the alleged attempt to depose President Obiang.

He allegedly made a down payment of $90,000 (£50,000) in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, and also allegedly gave last-minute instructions, by telephone, to those involved in the plot.Mr Kershaw made the decision to co-operate with the authorities after seeking legal advice. He is believed to have met officials recently in South Africa, but it is not known whether he is still in that country or whether he has returned to Britain.Authorities in Equatorial Guinea have announced that it wants Sir Mark extradited from South Africa.
More:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/story.jsp?story=555542

Last night's Evening Standard said Kershaw had "done a runner" and disappeared into the mist with his wongy list....