Accused Coup Leader Says Co-Defendants are Innocent

[seemslikeadream]

An accused Equatorial Guinea coup ringleader who is facing a possible death penalty sought today to clear his imprisoned co-defendants in the alleged plot to overthrow the oil-flush African regime.

South African arms dealer Nick du Toit is accused of leading an advance team in an international coup plot, foiled in March.
Du Toit told a court in Malabo that the men were never told what they were being recruited for.

“They are innocent according to me,” du Toit said in court.


Equatorial Guinea has accused British and South African oil broker Eli Calil and other foreign financiers of funding the alleged coup attempt. Obiang also accused Mark Thatcher, son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, but his name has not come up in court.
Du Toit says it was foreign financiers who plotted the coup in Equatorial Guinea, conspiring to put a presumably more-malleable opposition figure, exiled Severo Moto, in his place.

.................

“The people behind this were financial people, and they wanted to institute Moto as the next government,” Du Toit said .


MORE
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3399480

[seemslikeadream]

1. Does US Bank Harbour Equatorial Guinea’s Oil Millions in Secret Accounts?

Global Witness
January 21, 2003
Information published in today’s LA Times indicates that a massive US$300-500 million of Equatorial Guinea’s oil revenues may have been parked in a provincial Washington DC bank, under the control of President-for-life Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

The LA Times article, if true, gives an insight into why Equatorial Guinea’s oil money has not reached the ordinary people. It appears that President Obiang, who killed his murderous uncle to come to power in 1979, has arranged for the country’s oil income to be deposited in the Dupont Circle branch of Riggs Bank in downtown Washington DC. It is suggested the account balance has been maintained at US$300-500 million, a significant proportion of the Equatorial Guinean oil wealth generated since offshore oil production began in 1996.

Although sources close to the President have confirmed the existence of this account, it is the allegation in the paper that President Obiang himself retains control over the account that is particularly damaging. If true, this makes this fund subject to his personal wim, and while not perhaps illegal, it would surely be a clear breach of acceptable international standards of fiduciary duty and responsibility where oil money should be paid into the national exchequer.

“Global Witness would like an explanation as to why the oil companies pay money directly into Riggs Bank, rather than the national exchequer. Further, how is the relationship between Riggs Bank, President Obiang, and his brother, consistent with the bank having carried out a thorough due diligence exercise as required by US law?” said Global Witness campaigner Gavin Hayman. Documents in Global Witness’ possession reveal a close working relationship between the President, his family and the Dupont Circle branch of Riggs Bank.

more
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/natres/oil/2003/0122account.htm

Kenyan At Centre of Bank Scandal in US

Keriri, a former vice-president at the bank, oversaw the accounts of various foreign embassies here in Washington, including the Kenyan Embassy.

He was sacked in January this year, after he became a target of investigations following whistleblower allegations that he personally ferried suitcases containing millions of dollars from the embassy of the oil rich Equatorial Guinea to the Riggs Bank where it was deposited, flouting strict American banking laws regarding cash deposits and identification of depositors.
http://scoop.agonist.org/story/2004/7/19/95832/4406


SEC Eyes Oil Payments to Equatorial Guinea

SEC Examining Payments by Four Big U.S. Oil Companies to Officials of Equatorial Guinea

WASHINGTON Aug. 6, 2004 — The Securities and Exchange Commission is examining payments by five big U.S. oil companies to officials of Equatorial Guinea and businesses they controlled, as government inquiries related to the Riggs Bank affair proliferate.
Spokesmen for the companies Amerada Hess, ChevronTexaco, Devon Energy, Exxon Mobil and Marathon confirmed Friday that they had recently received letters from the SEC requesting information in a preliminary investigation. They said the companies were cooperating in the inquiry, which is being conducted by the SEC's office in Fort Worth, Texas.

At issue is whether U.S. anti-bribery laws were violated in the companies' activities in Equatorial Guinea, a poor West African country cited by the State Department for human rights abuses, corruption and diversion of oil revenues to government officials.

In the course of an overall investigation of account transactions at Riggs, Senate investigators discovered large payments made by the oil companies to officials of Equatorial Guinea and their relatives. That raised concerns about possible corruption, voiced by senators at a hearing last month.
more
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/ap20040806_1645.html

[emad]

2. Last night's BBC Newsnight Idema feature dynamite revelation:

Presenter Kirsty Wark showed documents that BBC had verified that showed that one Jeffrey Archer has financed the Simon Mann mercenatries with £2 million! As well as link to Thatcher's son Mark...

Jeffrey Archer, former Thatcherist Tory Party deputy chairman and fundraiser, jailed for 18 months for perverting the course of justice/perjury.

The programme referred to Riggs Bank and how Obiang still had over $500 million of his country's oil assets stashed there.

Wark also cited Eli Khalil who used to be a personal business associate of Jeffrey Archer as being involved in the £2 million financing.

(I was nearly sweating tears of bliss at this point!)

No mention on the Newsnight website except for:

"Also an exclusive Newsnight investigation into an alleged attempt to stage a coup in Africa. A group of suspected foreign mercenaries went on trial, accused of plotting to topple the President of Equatorial Guinea. Guinea's government has served writs in London alleging that the coup was planned in Chelsea by an old Etonian now in jail in Zimbabwe - but who was behind the enterprise?

We examined the evidence and explored the role of mercenaries in international relations today. Are they a force for good?

We spoke to Frederick Forsyth who wrote 'The Dogs of War', all about a mercenary inspired coup attempt in a central African state; and Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesman."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/3592150.stm

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Idema? That's a different mercenary, isn't it?

So many around these days ...

To be precise, the financier of the coup was just 'JH Archer' - but those are his initials (yes, his lawyers denied it, but since when has anything he and his lawyers claimed had any credibility?), and he has the links to Eli Khalil. The involvement of Mark Thatcher isn't surprising - his only profession has been arms dealer, hasn't it?

The video report is still up on the site - should be there another 8 hoiurs or so, until the next programme.