August 27, 2004
By Tony Weaver
A list of names straight from the British high-society register has begun to emerge in the British media as either witting or unwitting accomplices in the alleged Equatorial Guinea coup bid.
As Sir Mark Thatcher ended his first day of virtual house arrest in his Cape Town mansion, yesterday's Evening Standard alleged that several of the alleged backers of plans to overthrow Equatorial Guinea's president were present at a Christmas party at Thatcher's home last December. His mother, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, was among the 70-plus guests, the Standard said.
The London newspaper also referred to meetings held by Simon Mann, the former SAS officer arrested in Zimbabwe in March and accused of masterminding the plan, at the Sandton Towers Hotel.
The paper said an investigation revealed how a network of friends and contacts were asked to invest money in the scheme. Some weren't told the full story, others knew the details - and were at the Christmas buffet in Constantia, Cape Town.
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http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=128&fArticleId=2202564