Mark Thatcher appears in Cape Town court

Mark Thatcher - son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher - appeared in a Cape Town court today to face questioning about a botched coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea.

Thatcher pleaded guilty last month to violating South Africa’s anti-mercenary laws.

He was to answer a list of questions under oath submitted by prosecutors from the oil-rich West African nation.

“I’m very relaxed, I’m looking forward to it,” said Thatcher, when he arrived at Wynberg magistrate’s court with his lawyer.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema’s 25-year regime accuses Thatcher and other, mostly British, financiers of funding a bizarre plot to install an opposition figure as a puppet leader in Equatorial Guinea.

Thatcher admitted financing a helicopter, despite suspicions that it might be used for military purposes, in return for a four-year suspended sentence and 3 million rand (€386,000) fine.

He initially contested the court order requiring that he answer Equatorial Guinea’s questions. But he dropped the challenge following the plea bargain, which allowed him to leave South Africa to join his mother in Britain.

Thatcher has said that he hopes to join his wife and two children in the United States soon, but returned to South Africa for today’s appearance.

South African intelligence services exposed the alleged putsch in March, and scores of accused mercenaries were arrested in Equatorial Guinea and Zimbabwe.

Equatorial Guinea authorities initially said they would be seeking Thatcher’s extradition.

However, South African Justice Ministry spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said today’s session was merely because of a mutual judicial aid agreement between the two countries.

“There is no way we are dealing with extradition,” he said.