Thatcher tries to avoid interrogation

Lawyers for Margaret Thatcher's son Mark are taking steps to prevent him answering questions under oath about his alleged involvement in a failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea.

A senior member of Thatcher’s defence team said an application was forwarded to the Cape High Court to set aside the subpoena requiring him to appear in court later this month.

Thatcher was served with a subpoena last week following a request from the attorney general’s office in Equatorial Guinea to question Thatcher about his alleged financing of a foiled coup attempt in the oil-rich west African country.

The lawyer said the matter would be brought before the court on September 21 - one day before Thatcher is required to appear in the Wynberg magistrates court to face questioning.

“We believe the subpoena is an infringement on Mr Thatcher’s right to a fair trial in South Africa,” he said.

Thatcher was arrested in Cape Town on August 25 for allegedly contravening sections of the Foreign Military Assistance Act.

Equatorial Guinea wants to question a number of prominent Britons about allegations they financed a plot to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled Africa’s third-largest oil producer for the past 25 years.

Thatcher’s lawyers have maintained his innocence saying he will cooperate with authorities.

Last week Simon Mann, a former SAS officer and wealthy soldier of fortune accused of masterminding the botched coup plot was sentenced to seven years in prison for trying to buy weapons from Zimbabwe’s state arms manufacturer.