Thatcher lodges appeal
2004-12-15 12:59
Cape Town - Lawyers for Mark Thatcher have appealed against a decision that would force the Briton to answer questions about his alleged role in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, his legal counsel said.
Lawyer Peter Hodes said the application was filed on Tuesday against a decision by the Cape Town High Court ordering the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to answer questions under oath from prosecutors from the central African state.
"We must still make arrangements for the court date with a judge, we hope it will be sometime at the end of January," Hodes told AFP on Wednesday.
Thatcher, 51, appeared in court in Cape Town last month on charges that he helped finance a plot to oust long-time Equatorial Guinean leader Teodoro Obiang Nguema earlier this year.
Ordered to return to court
He was ordered to return to court on February 18 and answer questions from Equatorial Guinea's prosecutors which will be put to him by South African court officials.
The son of the Iron Lady has also been charged in a separate criminal case under South Africa's Foreign Military Assistance Act, which bars mercenary activities.
Thatcher was arrested on August 25 at his Cape Town villa on charges of contributing $275 000 to help finance the suspected plot to overthrow Obiang, in power for 25 years.
His strict bail conditions were extended until the April hearing, meaning he will be confined to the Cape Town area for the next five months.
Thatcher paid $300 000 in bail nine days after his arrest in August in Cape Town and agreed to hand over his passport and report daily to the police.
His lawyers have repeatedly denied his involvement in the alleged coup and say the funds paid by Thatcher were an investment in an air ambulance venture for west Africa.
Equatorial Guinea prosecutors, however, say the money was used to purchase a helicopter that was to fly opposition leader Severo Moto, currently living in exile in Spain, from Mali to Malabo once Obiang had been deposed.
- AFP