Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit AFP via Yahoo - Sept 10, 2004 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1504&e=5&u=/afp/20040910/ts_afp/zimbabwe_safrica_eguinea_040910145045 Alleged Equa-Guinea coup mastermind gets seven years in Zimbabwe HARARE (AFP) - Briton Simon Mann, the alleged mastermind behind a plot to stage a coup in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, was sentenced to seven years in jail by a Zimbabwe court on weapons charges. A group of 65 other suspected mercenaries were sentenced to 12 months in jail while the two men who flew a plane to Harare in March to pick up weapons, allegedly bound for Malabo, were given 16-month jail sentences for violating immigration laws. Dressed in khaki shorts and shirt, Mann looked somber as the magistrate read out the sentence in a makeshift court at Chikurubi maximum security prison, on Harare's outskirts. The former member of Britain's crack Special Air Services (SAS) force was convicted two weeks ago on charges of attempting to illegally purchase weapons that prosecutors argued were to be used to topple President Teodoro Obiang Nguema in Malabo. "The accused was the author of the whole transaction. He was caught while trying to take the firearms out of the country," said Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe as he read out the sentences. He said the offences "are serious...were well planned and well executed and that must be reflected in the penalty." The magistrate described the sentence as "moderate" but added that he hoped it would "send a clear message to others who harbour similar intentions." The sentences were the first to be handed down in connection with the alleged conspiracy to topple Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for 25 years. Mann, the founder of the defunct mercenary outfit Executive Outcomes, is also a friend and neighbor of Mark Thatcher, the son of the former British prime minister who was charged three weeks ago in South Africa with bankrolling the alleged plot. Another 19 men, including eight South Africans, are on trial in Malabo, accused of being the advance party for the group that was arrested in Harare on March 7. A stunned silence filled the courtroom as the sentences were read out. "I think it was excessive and it induces a sense of shock," said defence lawyer Jonathan Samkange. He added however that the defense will not appeal the sentences. Many of the wives broke down in tears. "I'm devastated. My husband is not a mercenary, he is just a cockpit man," said Marge Pain, wife of flight engineer Ken Pain who was sentenced to 12 months in prison. "I thought he was going to get a fine. I can't believe this is happening. I have sold everything we had to be able to buy air tickets to come to the hearing. I think it's not just at all," she said. Mann allegedly recruited the suspected mercenaries to topple Obiang and to pave the way for the return from exile in Spain of opposition politician Severo Moto. In handing down his decision, the magistrate also ordered that 180,000 dollars (147,000 euros) that Mann had paid for the purchase of the weapons and his three-million-dollar Boeing 727 be forfeited to the state. For violating Zimbabwe's aviation laws, the 67 men who were on the plane received a 200 Zimbabwe dollar (about three US cents). The magistrate said he could not suspend any portion of Mann's sentences because "the accused is a foreigner". The men are expected to serve two thirds of the imposed sentences as one third can be remitted on grounds of good behaviour. The sentences in Harare brought to a close a six-week trial during which the prosecution rejected the suspected mercenaries' claims that they were on their way to guard a diamond mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Citing information and equipment found on the plane as well as the weapons the men were to collect, the prosecution argued that the men were ready for a military operation rather than routine security services. The 67 men are from several southern African countries but were all travelling on South African passports when they were arrested at Harare international airport six months ago. Zimbabwe has turned down a request by Equatorial Guinea to extradite Mann and his alleged accomplices to face trial in Malabo. * Search the NYTr Archives at: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ To subscribe or unsubscribe or change your settings via the web, visit: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] =================================================================
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