Mark Thatcher 'plea deal' over coup plot

Margaret Thatcher's son Mark, accused of bankrolling a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, is expected to appear in a South African court today amid reports of a plea-bargain deal.

Sources said he was to pay a fine of €428,000 – 3,000,000 SA Rand – and plead guilty to a charge of contravening Section Two of the regulations of the Foreign Military Assistance Act.