Coup plot inquiry moves to Guernsey bank

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The hunt for the financiers behind the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea yesterday moved to the sedate surroundings of the royal court in St Peter Port, Guernsey

David Pallister

The hunt for the financiers behind the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, which led to the arrest in South Africa of Sir Mark Thatcher, yesterday moved to the sedate surroundings of the royal court in St Peter Port, Guernsey. Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea's president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, believe that the secretive off-shore centre may hold the clues which will unravel the bizarre plot. They are asking the local branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland to disclose accounts held by two companies controlled by the alleged ringleader, Simon Mann. The former SAS officer is expected to be sentenced in a court in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Friday for attempting to buy arms for the coup. The prosecutors are asking for a prison term of 10 years. Sitting before Lieutenant Bailiff Christopher Day, Alan Merrien, for the president, revealed that he was also seeking safe deposit boxes, which may hold contracts between the companies and individuals involved. Mr Merrien said: "Those who instigated and financed the plot are sitting comfortably in London and letting others take the consequences. There are others whose identities are not yet known." Mr Merrien had originally won a disclosure order against the bank in April. But this had been stayed on an application from lawyers for one of Mr Mann's Guernsey companies, Systems Design.

Yesterday's hearing was brought by Systems Design to discharge the order completely. Connecting the alleged conspirators, Mr Merrien itemised transfers totalling $230,000 (£135,000) from Systems Design to a bank account in the Equatorial Guinea capital, Malabo, controlled by the South African arms dealer Nick du Toit. With 13 other mercenaries he is standing trial in Malabo and faces the death penalty. Mr Merrien said the bank information would be used in a high court action brought by the president in London against the alleged plotters. These people are named on the writ as Mr Mann, British businessmen Greg Wales and Ely Calil, and the opposition leader Severo Moto, who is in exile in Spain. The court was briefly adjourned in the morning after the surprise production of an affidavit from a London solicitor acting for the Mann family. The affidavit said that Mr Mann was concerned about the uses to which the information might be put - a concern echoed by Nick Barnes, acting for Systems Design. "There is a serious risk that the undertaking would not be complied with," he said. Mr Barnes suggested that court make no decision until the high court in London had assessed what evidence it required. The case continues tomorrow.

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1. More coverage from UK's Times see:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=805328&mesg_id=805328
pOST 25

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2. BBC coverage:Guernsey bank 'in coup plot link'

Snip:


Guernsey authorities are being asked to force a bank to provide payment details that may be linked to an alleged Equatorial Guinea coup plot. Ex-SAS soldier Simon Mann, the alleged ringleader, is thought to hold accounts at a Guernsey branch of a UK bank.

A Guernsey court on Tuesday adjourned the case - brought by Equatorial Guinea's president - until Thursday. ..............

The possible link to a Guernsey bank emerged as lawyers acting for the country's president attempt to discover the identities of those who allegedly bankrolled the plot.
Story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3636846.stm

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3. From The Guardian:

Coup plot inquiry moves to Guernsey bank

David Pallister
Wednesday September 8, 2004
The Guardian

Sitting before Lieutenant Bailiff Christopher Day, Alan Merrien, for the president, revealed that he was also seeking safe deposit boxes, which may hold contracts between the companies and individuals involved. Mr Merrien said: "Those who instigated and financed the plot are sitting comfortably in London and letting others take the consequences. There are others whose identities are not yet known."

Mr Merrien had originally won a disclosure order against the bank in April. But this had been stayed on an application from lawyers for one of Mr Mann's Guernsey companies, Systems Design. Yesterday's hearing was brought by Systems Design to discharge the order completely.

Connecting the alleged conspirators, Mr Merrien itemised transfers totalling $230,000 (£135,000) from Systems Design to a bank account in the Equatorial Guinea capital, Malabo, controlled by the South African arms dealer Nick du Toit. With 13 other mercenaries he is standing trial in Malabo and faces the death penalty.

Mr Merrien said the bank information would be used in a high court action brought by the president in London against the alleged plotters. These people are named on the writ as Mr Mann, British businessmen Greg Wales and Ely Calil, and the opposition leader Severo Moto, who is in exile in Spain. The court was briefly adjourned in the morning after the surprise production of an affidavit from a London solicitor acting for the Mann family. The affidavit said that Mr Mann was concerned about the uses to which the information might be put - a concern echoed by Nick Barnes, acting for Systems Design. "There is a serious risk that the undertaking would not be complied with," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/equatorialguinea/story/0,15013,1299611,00.html