Friday, Jan 14, 2005
Friday, Jan 14, 2005 |
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CAPE TOWN, JAN. 13. Sir Mark Thatcher pleaded guilty on Thursday to unwittingly helping to finance a foiled coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, accepting a 3 million rand [$506,000] fine and suspended jail sentence. The plea deal allows Mr. Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to leave South Africa and to rejoin his family in the United States. Mr. Mark Thatcher admitted in the Cape High Court that he paid $275,000 in two instalments last year to charter an Alouette III helicopter, which mercenaries planned to use in their botched takeover. But he said in court documents that he was told it would be used for commercial purposes. Mr. Thatcher acknowledged in the documents that he began to suspect the helicopter would be used for military reasons before he made the payments. ``Although the helicopter was never used in any such mercenary activity, and in fact did not leave southern Africa, Sir Mark had by then committed an attempt to contravene the provisions of'' South Africa's anti-mercenary laws, his lawyer George van Niekerk said in a statement. Judge Abe Motala ordered Mr. Thatcher to pay the fine as part of the plea deal — but if he does not pay by January 17, he faces a five-year prison sentence with a further four years suspended for five years. ``I am willing to pay any price to be reunited with my family,'' Mr. Thatcher told journalists outside court. Mr. Thatcher's wife, Diane, the daughter of a wealthy Texas auto dealer, flew to Dallas with their two children shortly after his August arrest. Mr. Mark Thatcher refused to answer questions before he was whisked home in a green BMW. Across the street from the court, a poster reading ``Save me mummy'' hung from a window. Lady Thatcher expressed relief on Thursday that the case against was concluded.
— AP
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