Coup suspect Simon Mann extradited to Equatorial Guinea

By Tererai Karimakwenda
01 febnruary, 2008

Simon Mann, the British mercenary who was serving time in Zimbabwe for attempting to buy illegal weapons,allegedly to be used in a failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, is reported to have been extradited to Equatorial Guinea early Thursday morning.

The 55 year old former British soldier lost an appeal on Wednesday against extradition to the oil-rich West African country. Journalist Peta Thornycroft said Mann’s lawyer Jonathan Samkange visited the prison on Thursday, only to be told he had been taken away by the police.

Officials from Equatorial Guinea were waiting with their own plane and took Mann into custody. He is now in prison in the country where he is accused of attempting to overthrow dictator President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.

Thornycroft said Equatorial Guinea is considered to have the worst human rights record on the continent. Five others accused with Mann in the alleged coup plot are already serving time in prisons there. One of them, Nick Dutoit, told relatives when he appeared in court that he had been tortured into confessing. There are concerns that Mann will receive the same brutal treatment.

Mann served 4 years in Chikurubi on the weapons charge. According to Thornycroft he testified that the weapons were to be used in operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was never proved that there was a link to the Guinea coup plot.

The extradition order from Equatorial Guinea came through just as Mann had completed serving his sentence in Zimbabwe and was about to be released. Fearing for his security lawyers had applied to the High Court to keep him in Zimbabwe until an appeal was heard. Mann then lost two appeals, the second of which was denied Wednesday. Lawyers had submitted another application when they discovered that Mann had ‘disappeared.’

Thornycroft said there was a well choreographed series of decisions that amounted to collusion between judges in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.