Thatcher planning to leave South Africa when arrested

MARK THATCHER was planning to leave South Africa when he was arrested, authorities said yesterday.

The son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher is under house arrest and facing the possibility of 15 years in jail after being accused over an alleged plot to topple the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

The 51-year-old, who denies the charge, was arrested early on Wednesday at his Cape Town home and appeared in court later. Yesterday Makhosini Nkosi, a spokesman for the National Prosecuting Authority, said: “It does appear that he was planning to leave the country.

“The house was on the market, he had disposed of some of the cars, and there were suitcases around the house which indicated they were planning to leave.

“He did confirm he was planning to relocate to Texas.”

Thatcher has been charged with violating South Africa’s anti-mercenary law in connection with the alleged coup attempt. He is said to have helped finance a bid to overturn the regime of President Teodoro Obiang, ruler of the oil-rich west African country, which was foiled in March. His lawyer, Peter Hodes, said yesterday he had been arrested on suspicion of providing finance for a helicopter linked to the alleged plot.

“He will plead not guilty,” he said.

In a statement released by his spokesman Lord Bell yesterday, Thatcher said: “I am innocent of all charges made against me.

A magistrates’ court in Cape Town set his bail yesterday at two million rand (€260,000). He is under house arrest and has until September 8 to post bail.

The arrest came as trials take place in Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe over the alleged plot. It is claimed that Briton Simon Mann, an Old Etonian turned African mercenary, was the ringleader. He was held in Zimbabwe, allegedly with a plane full of mercenaries on their way to overthrow the Equatorial Guinea government.

The alleged plotters were said to be hoping to exploit the country’s massive oil reserves by installing their own leader, Severo Moto, currently in exile in Spain.