67 'mercenaries' plead guilty to Zimbabwe charges

All but three of 70 suspected mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea pleaded guilty to lesser charges in Zimbabwe in hopes of early release from prison.

The 67 men admitted breaching Zimbabwe’s immigration and aviation laws, offences punishable by up to two years in jail.

They were arrested in Zimbabwe and accused of seeking weapons here to use in overthrowing Equatorial Guinea’s president.

Chief prosecutor Stephen Musona accepted the pleas, effectively dropping additional conspiracy charges and accusations of firearms and security violations. Both sides denied there was a formal plea bargain.

Harare Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe formally convicted the 67 of the lesser charges, and defence lawyers were expected to present arguments in mitigation of sentence on Wednesday.

Neither the defence lawyers, nor family members, would comment on the likely penalty faced by the men.

But several of the suspects held up six fingers to relatives gathered in a makeshift courtroom at Harare’s Chikurubi maximum security prison, indicating they expected six months in jail, of which they have already served just over 4 1/2 months.

The 67 were arrested after their ageing Boeing 727 landed at Harare International Airport on March 7.

They were accused of conspiring to carry out a coup in the tiny, oil-rich West African nation of Equatorial Guinea with weapons acquired in Zimbabwe.

Alleged coup leader Simon Mann, a former British SAS captain, and two associates who were not on the plane were arrested separately in Zimbabwe and accused of illegal arms purchases.

They still face three more serious charges carrying a penalty of up to life in prison.

Prosecutors allege Equatorial Guinea’s Spanish-based rebel leader, Severo Moto, offered the group more cash and oil rights to overthrow President Theodoro Obiang Nguema in the former Spanish colony.

The suspects, most of them former members of South Africa’s apartheid-era military forces, deny the charges and say they were headed to security jobs at mining operations in eastern Congo.

In April, Zimbabwe said it had revised its extradition policy to include Equatorial Guinea, raising the possibility the suspects could be sent to the West African nation to face charges with seven others arrested there.

If tried in Equatorial Guinea, described by human rights groups as one of the most repressive countries in the world, they could face execution.