Margaret Thatcher's Son Released on Coup Plot Charges (Update2)

[seemslikeadream]

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mark Thatcher, the son of former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, briefly appeared in a Cape Town court after being arrested for allegedly aiding a failed coup in Equatorial Guinea.

Thatcher, 49, was released and told to provide a guarantee of 2 million rand ($300,000) by Sept. 8. He was ordered to surrender his passport and travel documents, not to leave the Cape Town vicinity without written permission and report daily to police. The case was postponed till Nov. 25.

A dozen investigators from the Scorpions, an FBI-style crime- fighting unit, swooped on Thatcher's Constantia, Cape Town, home shortly after dawn to search for documents linking him to the coup. South Africa's Foreign Military Assistance Act prevents residents of the country from planning or conducting any military acts abroad.

Thatcher ``has been co-operating with the authorities,'' Alan Bruce-Brand, Thatcher's lawyer said outside the court in Wynberg, Cape Town. ``He denies any possible wrongdoing at all.''

more
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000102&sid=aEjCT9U32LcQ&refer=uk

[joefree1]

1. Idiot, first you charge Guinea with supporting terrorism

... then you invade them for their oil.

South Africa's elite FBI-style Scorpions unit swooped on Thatcher's luxury home in an upscale Cape Town suburb early on Wednesday, searching items including telephone records and computer hard-drives for evidence.

"This man has a very serious case to answer in court," said Scorpions spokesman Makhosini Nkosi. "The Scorpions unit does not just arrest people unless there is a very strong case."
More ...
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6068092


Download the free poster/sign here:
http://ediablo.com/eDiabloGallery.html

[MidwestTransplant]

2. I wonder if they will discover any emails from Cheney

or oil execs on his HD.

[notadmblnd]

3. Thatcher has been implicated in illegal arms trade since Iran Contra times

and if TPTB even think he might name names...and I'd be willing to put money on it... He'll be tragicly "accidented" or "suicided" in a heartbeat.

[Southsideirish]

4. Doesn't any of the offspring of these right wingers sell furniture

or teach or work in a library?

[Dover]

6. Lol!

Or simply collect stamps?

[NorthernSpy]

5. ah, a genuine Son of a Bitch

Hope they throw the book at him. I'm sure he deserves it for something.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

13. Maggie also deserves some "Hard Time" for her tenure as PM.

[Dover]

7. Wow.......what a tangled web. So does this implicate him in the whole

Riggs Bank network scandal?

[seemslikeadream]

8. It looks like it could head that way Dover

queen mudder seems to put it together



Thatcher masterminded African coup fiasco
Johannesburg, Wednesday (Rioters) - Baroness Thatcher had to be resuscitated by MI6 emergency services this morning as she broke down at the news that her son Sir Mark Thatcher had been arrested at his Cape Town home and charged with financing a coup in Equitorial Guinea.

The news follows a series of revelations that mercenaries involved in the plot have confessed to federal prosecutors in Zimbabwe that Sir Mark was merely carrying out his mother's orders following her imminent bankruptcy petition after losing all her lifetime savings - along with Chile's General Pinochet - at the Riggs Bank, a US laundering facility run by President Bush's uncle Jonathan Bush. Further, that Equitorial Guinea's President Obiang had lost $500 million in sequestered personal accounts held at Riggs that US Undersecretary for Defence Dov Zakheim had siphoned off to facilitate a smooth whitewash of courtroom claims in Kabul by other mercenaries, led by Jonathan Idema, that they had been hired by the Riggs CEO to find Osama and claim the $25 million bounty in order to pay off fines imposed on Riggs after the Pinochet moneylaundering fiasco became public.

This morning, in a series of startling revelations it emerged that Sir Mark had been provided with funds of over £2 million by ex-Tory party chairman and perjury jailbird Jeffrey Archer who had boasted that his personal chairty fundraising efforts after the first Gulf War had raised £57 million to give to the beleagured Kurds in Northern Iraq. No trace has ever been found of this alleged charity money. However, Archer has been sued in the UK courts by Ahmad Chalabi who has alleged in public that Archer had "either stashed it under his matterass" or given it to Iyad Allawi to finance his Autumn 2004 world lecture tour that is to culminate in a personal address to the UK's Labour Party Conference in Brighton next month.

Meanwhile, back in London, Conservative Party Central Office was besieged with phone calls asking if Sir Mark had any links to the Labour Government's Public/Private Finance Initiative that normally organises such ventures concerned with the takeover of foreign sovereign states that had more oil than common sense, like Iraq. The Initiative, which is the brainchild of Tony Blair's Middle East Envoy Lord Levy, has been reported as eyeing up Iran as its next potential target and recent reports have noted that the Prime Minister's wife Cherry Bush QC is to undertake her own personal world lecture tour later this year to rally support for this latest wheeze.
more
http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s3i6402&rating=5

[Dover]

9. I don't quite know what to make of this news source...not familiar with it

but the author, "Queen Mudder", seems to be the tipoff....LOL!

Is that a spoof or what's the story behind this web site?

[seemslikeadream]

10. Yea it's spoofy but

it seems to me that's the way you get around liable laws isn't it? You should read some of the other stuff.

:hi:

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. Also sneaky is the way you gave the link

to the 'rate it 5' page - so as soon as we look at it, we've given it maximum marks! It was quite good, admittedly ... ;-)

[Snazzy]

20. This is so very close to the truth

Not much of a spoof, really. But the truth is funny, funny like a dead, sad clown.

(Yeah, I don't really know what that means either).

:hippie:

[daleo]

11. Horrible monsters from the Nixon/Ford/Reagan/Bush I eras

First, the Reagan/Bush, even Nixon/Ford era psychos get back into the U.S. government. Now, Thatcher's offspring is playing in the coup mud. I wonder if Blair et al were entirely ignorant of these alleged doings? It is like an unending nightmare.

[StevieM]

15. Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Bush are all slime

I don't think Ford is such a bad guy though.

Steve

[newyawker99]

17. Hi StevieM!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[daleo]

23. Maybe not Ford himself

But I believe Rumsfeld was a pretty big wheel in the Ford administration, as were Casper Weinberger and Henry Kissinger. I mainly threw his name in there because of Rumsfeld, though.

Some people still have a problem with Ford because of the Warren Commission, although I was mostly thinking about the presence of Rumsfeld in his cabinet of Secretary of Defense.

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1405.html

[peach720]

12. The British media are having a field day with this.....

going through the archieves, for all his previous crimes such as
Tax Evasion.

[MisterP]

16. Thatcherism: bringing Pinochet's Miracle of Chile to the rest of the world

*--helidropped corpses not included

[goforit]

18. Hmmmm ...... white supremacy at their finest hour.

neoconservatives are all cut from the same cloth.

[Snazzy]

19. Awesome! With a celeb. trial now we'll get somewhere

Hey Dream! Are they ready for the Chile connection. Auto-asphyxiation Thatcher stories in Chile? Mahfouz and Thatcher? Thatcher hanging out with Shrub in Texas? One big happy crime family.

So interesting that it's always the same players, and might actually come out.

Pinochet link is just under the surface here. Linked through Riggs money, Jersey and suburb of Cape Town.

I noted in trying to catch up on this mountain of coverage today that Sandline/Executive Outcomes also got into a bunch of it over Angola. Which US oil company made out? Marathon (former bd. member Snow, Tres. Sec., the man charged with investigating Riggs and didn't).

The Nov. 25th date is annoying--be nice if we had some details on Thatcher before the election.

Grabbing a recent post about this:

766579, Pinochet's Ashburton and Althorp shell companies
Posted by Snazzy on Sat Aug-21-04 03:33 AM

Where the loot was stashed by Riggs when he was arrested in England. Been trying to figure out what to make of that since this now archived thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=686504#691064

Ashburton is a UK/South African investment management group.

But why Althorp I'd wondered (while thinking about Fastow's Enron shell co.'s like Deathstar and what that told us). One search on Althorp turned out the factoid that's the name of the estate where Princess Diana is buried (I'm not much of a royal watcher). Nothing to do with the Thatchers, I thought, dead end (no pun...).

But turns out that there's another Althorp estate. In South Africa, right next to Mark Thatcher's and Obiang's playboy son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang. Earl Spencer, who I assume is a close drinking buddy of Mark Thatcher's. (Althorp and Spencer are related family names/titles).

So, recap:

Pinochet's shell companies oddly named after Brit royals.

Set up by Riggs Bank.

The names come together in the Cape Town suburb of Constantina (wine country), where all the players in the Equatorial Guinea live:

Simon Mann -- merc leader for failed EG coup plot and former UK special forces guy lives; most of the rest of the mercs from SA too

Mark Thatcher -- Margaret's son and arms dealer; history of odd dealings in Chile, Thatchers are strong Pinochet pals

Teodoro Nguema Obiang -- EG dictator's son, has multi-million dollar mansion too, paid for with money from Riggs provided by US oil companies

The Earl Spencer -- another playboy Brit scumbag, Princess Di's brother (don't know much about him yet, but these are the drinking buddies), other family name is Althorp (a former Baron), which is what he likes to name his mansions

Ashburton -- Investment management in SA and UK/Jersey (Riggs in Jersey too). Specializes in wealthy people like Pinochet and doing offshore business. Links to De Beers and SA banking. Address: 17 Hilary Street, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands

Riggs -- Address: 27 Hill Street, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands (a block away from Ashburton)

There ya have it, two brutal dictators linked to all the same people and the same BFEE bank. Of course when you start looking at the oil companies, notably the former Triton (now A. Hess) and Marathon, you get the heavy Bushco. side of the equation, and Saudis too, including Mahfouz. (Mark Thatcher pops up in that mess too. I'd like to know a bit more about his time living in Texas.)

We were doing some work on that side of it in these threads:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=728495

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=734961

[Snazzy]

21. Oil rich, dirt poor

Oil rich, dirt poor

John Vidal
Thursday August 26, 2004
The Guardian

John Vidal recently returned from Equatorial Guinea, one of the few western journalists to visit in recent years
Within hours of arriving in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, visitors are quite likely to be followed by informers, stopped by the army and arrested by police who will strip the film from their cameras, follow them to their hotel, question their motives for being in the country, demand permits and question anyone they have talked to.

Since the alleged coup attempt in March, Equatorial Guinea - with a population smaller than Sheffield - has become one of the most paranoid, suspicious and xenophobic countries in Africa.

Effectively now a military state on permanent red alert, it has been run for 25 years as a semi-dictatorship by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who is convinced that western powers, neighbouring countries and some of those closest to him are plotting to depose him to get at the country's vast oil wealth.

The linking of Mark Thatcher with the alleged coup attempt only confirms Mr Obiang's belief that privileged westerners are plotting to overthrow him.

....

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,9174,1290990,00.html

[seemslikeadream]

22. I've been wondering where you were

Make sure you see these

BBC News: Thatcher charged
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=775499&mesg_id=775499
'Petroleum lures dogs of war to Africa'
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x775315
Mark Thatcher held over coup plot
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=775009&mesg_id=775009



don't miss this
THE FLIGHT OF N4610
8/14/04--the botched march 7th coup attempt in equatorial guinea brings attention to the role played by big oil not just for the riggs bank probe but who bankrolled the mercenaries--

more
http://www.geocities.com/desertrecon/holmes.html


:hi:

and thanks for reminding me of those two links I had forgot all about them!

[Snazzy]

25. Been diggin' the coverage

I want to know about the Earl Spencer and other neighbors in Constantina. And who are Thatcher's bankers, or what company did he work for as an accountant? That's going to be the 'tell'--link all this together. It is weird that Pinochet and a coup plot in EG are linked through this guy (and add so many other other UK ex-pats), but they are. They were making the money more legimate via the handy wash and dry at Riggs.

It is a Bush Sr. network, not whistleass. CIA, and graduate to private sector oil, diamonds and gold. Thatcher has been sucking up his mom's global pillaging much like our own junior--and no surprise, they know each other. In fact, reports say that she's in the US today, I wonder where? Probably tea with Sr. or some real operator.

Gotta google that.

:hi: :beer: :hi:

[Snazzy]

26. Trying to get big picture

(A rough sketch of my understanding of all this--I welcome anything that fills this in)

Pinochet has suspicious millions. Defended, upon his arrest in UK in '98, by Margaret Thatcher (via speech at a Tory mtg in Blackpool). Riggs, via London and Jersey branches, moves money to Bahamas into accounts oddly named after Brit. Royals.

Chilean mercs flow to Iraq (via Blackwater in NC, USA).

SA mercs flow to Iraq (largest merc force), and also are in play, have been in play everywhere in Africa where precious resources are involved. Companies always linked to De Beers/Rand/Anglo American but run by former UK SAS.

(Bush Sr. and Barrick (?; Anglo American and Heritage Oil also Canadian connections with this mess) might fit nice here).

Thatcher investigated for arms deal to Chile--snuffed by UK Gov. Suspicious deaths. Occurred while Thatcher was living in Houston and owned several companies. Also around this time he has an arms deal involving Mahfouz and Saudis, guns for oil. Mahfouz links to BCCI and bin Laden, of course; links to most everything corrupt and probably terror (but you can't talk about it in the UK, libel laws, and nobody media cares here--title of one article "bin Laden's Banker"; another "6 degrees of Mahfouz"). Thatcher leaves Texas upon lawsuits for South Africa.

EG coup plot linked to same merc companies (also involved in Angolan coup). Same people incld. Marathon Oil. US Plane.

Riggs bank implodes from unexpected consequences of the Patriot Act. Reveals, so far, EG, Saudi and Pinochet money laundering.

Riggs implosion doesn't happen, despite links to 9/11 terrorists, until the fox guarding the hen house goes to work for Riggs. Treasury's OCC, with a new regulator, discovers the scam that has been festering for years. Bank is fined and announces fire sale, under multiple agency probes. Jonathan Bush's name is not mentioned. PNC bank steps up to buy Riggs real quick. Not quick enough.

On bd. of PNC is Chair of US Steel, which formerly owned Marathon Oil (still on bd of that too). Tres. Sec. Snow was also on bd. of US Steel/Marathon. The PNC connection. The BFEE bailout.

Marathon just concluded a deal that was in limbo over the price of natural gas from EG with BG Group (British Gas). They had been negotiating for a better price since just before the attempted coup.

Spain's admin, BFEE's right wing partners in crime, had warships ready to deploy to the region at the time of the failed coup. The so-called gov in exile, led by Moto, resides in Spain. (And Spain and Chile both speak Spanish, of course, as does EG--I wonder if that is Thatcher's foreign language).

That's roughly where I'm at on this--skipping many interesting little details of course. When things break--failed coup or say the unexpected consequences of a sweeping law like the Patriot Act--you get to peer inside the engine block, see what's really driving this thing. The players from the RW of the old empire and the new are happily ling their pockets on the basis of most people and at least the press being too lazy to track this stuff.

(not mentioned--Florida banking under Jeb, which facilitated much of this. And I wonder how involved Jonathan was when Thatcher became a Houston house guest--someone could, probably will do a book on all this one day).

But they sure liked Riggs Bank--give it that American stamp of good capitalism. EG, Saudi, Chile so far, bet there's a bunch more. If you're going to be corrupt, why not go for the gusto!

According to Levin's SSCI report, 85% of the embassy accounts at Riggs don't pass the smell test. Did Thatcher have one? How about anybody in SA?

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. Answer to who he worked for as an accountant

or, more accurately, tried to work for:
"As a child, he was spoiled by his parents. Known unaffectionately as "Thickie Mark" at Harrow, he left school with just three O-levels. He drifted from job to job, becoming a trainee accountant with Touche Ross, where he failed his accountancy exams three times.
He was working as a jewellery salesman with the firm of LJ Lepp (Thatcher family friends) when his mother became prime minister in 1979. He is said to have demanded a 100% rise in salary as a result. He did not get it, but claimed: "Anybody would have done the same if it was their mum"."
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/22810-print.shtml

[Snazzy]

24. British Financiers 'Hatched Coup Plot'

3:40am (UK)
British Financiers 'Hatched Coup Plot'

Hatched by Old Etonians and other members of the British political and financial elite, an alleged scheme to seize control of Equatorial Guinea flush with petrodollars was no ordinary African coup plot.

The plan: send in a motley crew of European, Asian and African mercenaries to force out the oil-rich ruler of one of the world’s most corrupt regimes – and, in his place, install a more malleable opposition figure.

The prize – an in for deals with Africa’s third-largest oil producer and the hundreds of millions of dollars it earns annually from a West African petroleum boom that has given the nation of 500,000 the world’s fastest-growing economy.

But if there was any plot, it went disastrously wrong.

...

“The people behind this were financial people, and they wanted to institute Severo Moto as the next government,” Nick du Toit, a South African arms dealer who is facing the death penalty for his alleged role in the plot, testified at the trial.

....

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3408801

[Matilda]

27. Co-operating with the authorities.... I'll bet -

he's the sort who'd drop everybody in it to save himself. Just
watch.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. Reuters: Police say Thatcher was set to leave

http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=571800§ion=news

Sipho Ngwema, spokesman for the FBI-style Scorpions unit which arrested Mark Thatcher on Wednesday, said the 51-year-old businessman had recently put his luxurious Cape Town house up for sale and was "winding up" other aspects of his life in the country.

"It looks as if he was planning to leave the country for good," Ngwema said.
...
Ngwema said police decided to move against Thatcher on Wednesday after he failed to respond quickly enough to a police request for information upon returning to South Africa from a trip to the United States several weeks ago.

"We wanted to make sure we arrested him before he left the country," he said.