All but three of 70 suspected mercenaries accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea pleaded guilty Tuesday to lesser charges in Zimbabwe. The 67 were detained at Harare International Airport on March 7, accused of conspiring to carry out a coup in the tiny, oil-rich West African nation of Equatorial Guinea with weapons acquired in Zimbabwe. The 67 on Tuesday admitted breaching Zimbabwe's immigration and aviation laws, offenses punishable by up to two years in jail. Magistrate Mishrod Guvamombe formally convicted the 67 of the lesser charges. Their sentences weren't announced. Defense attorney Alwyn Griebenow said all 70 would plead innocent when more serious conspiracy, security and firearms charges were considered Wednesday.
The remaining three suspects include the alleged leader of the coup attempt, Simon Mann, a former British special forces member. He and two associates who were not on the plane were arrested separately in Zimbabwe and accused of illegal arms purchases. They also face the more serious charges. Prosecutors allege Equatorial Guinea's Spanish-based rebel leader, Severo Moto, offered the group $1.8 million 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.
| Too bad they didn't depose Bob while on their way to their "other job". |
In April, Zimbabwe said it had revised its extradition policy to include Equatorial Guinea, meaning the suspects could be sent there to face charges. They could face execution if tried in Equatorial Guinea, described by human rights groups as one of the most repressive countries in the world. |