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Simon Mann
June 26, 1952 (1952-06-26) (age 56)

Place of birth Aldershot, England
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch Scots Guards
SAS
Battles/wars 1991 Gulf War
Working for Private Military Companies:
Bougainville Uprising
Sierra Leone Civil War
Failed coup d'etat in Equatorial Guinea
Other work worked for a number of private military corporations including Sandline International
For other people called Simon Mann, see Simon Mann (disambiguation).

Simon Francis Mann (born 26 June 1952) is a security expert, mercenary and former British Army officer, and South African citizen extradited to Equatorial Guinea on 1 February 2008.1 He was accused of planning a coup d'etat to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea by leading a mercenary force into the capital Malabo in an effort to kidnap or kill President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. The charges in South Africa against him were dropped on 23 February 2007,2 but the charges remained in Equatorial Guinea, where he was convicted in absentia in November 2004. He lost an extradition hearing to Equatorial Guinea after serving three years of a four-year prison sentence in Zimbabwe for the same crimes and being released early on good behavior.3 On the arrival of Mann in Equatorial Guinea for his trial in Malabo, public Prosecutor Jose Olo Obono said that Mann would face three charges - crimes against the head of state, crimes against the government, and crimes against the peace and independence of the state.4 On July 7, 2008, Mann was sentenced to 34 years and four months in prison by a court in Equatorial Guinea.5

Contents

Early life

Simon Mann's father, George Mann, captained the England cricket team in the late 1940s and was heir to the Watney Mann brewing empire that is now part of Diageo. George's father (Simon's grandfather) Frank Mann, also captained the England cricket team in 1922/23. After leaving Eton College, Simon Mann trained as an officer at Sandhurst and joined the Scots Guards. He later became a member of the SAS and served in Cyprus, Germany, Norway and Northern Ireland before leaving the forces in 1985. He was re-called to action from the reserves for the Gulf War.

Becoming a mercenary

Mann then entered the field of computer security; however, his interest in this industry lapsed when he returned from his service in the Gulf and he entered the oil industry to work with Tony Buckingham. Buckingham also had a military background and had been a diver in the North Sea oil industry before joining a Canadian oil firm. In 1993 UNITA rebels in Angola seized the port of Soyo, and closed its oil installations. The Angolan government under Jose Eduardo dos Santos sought mercenaries to seize back the port and asked for assistance from Buckingham who had by now formed his own company. Buckingham hired a South African organization called Executive Outcomes and Mann and Buckingham now became involved in Executive Outcomes' mercenary activities.

Sandline International

Main article: Tim Spicer

Mann went on to establish Sandline International with Tim Spicer in 1996. The company operated mostly in Angola and Sierra Leone but in 1997 the Sandline received a commission from the government of Papua New Guinea to suppress a rebellion on the island of Bougainville and the company came to international prominence. Sandline International announced the closure of the company's operations on April 16, 2004.

Equatorial Guinea coup scandal

On March 7, 2004 Simon Mann and 69 others were arrested in Zimbabwe when their Boeing 727 was seized by security forces during a stop-off at Harare airport where the aircraft was due to be loaded with £100,000 worth of weapons and equipment. The men were charged with violating the country’s immigration, firearms and security laws and later accused of engaging in an attempt to stage a coup-d'etat in Equatorial Guinea. Meanwhile eight suspected mercenaries, one of whom later died in prison, were detained in Equatorial Guinea in connection with the alleged plot. Mann and the others claimed that they were not on their way to Equatorial Guinea but were in fact flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to provide security for diamond mines owned by JFPI Corporation. Mann and his colleagues were put on trial in Zimbabwe and on August 27 Mann was found guilty of attempting to buy arms for an alleged coup plot and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.6 Sixty-six of the other men were acquitted.7

On August 25, Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, was arrested at his home in Cape Town, South Africa. He eventually pled guilty (under a plea bargain) to negligently supplying financial assistance for the plot.8 The 14 men in the mercenary advance guard that were caught in Equatorial Guinea were sentenced to jail for 34 years.9 Among the advance guard was Nick du Toit who claimed that he had been introduced to Thatcher by Mann.citation needed Investigations would later reveal in financial records of Mann's holdings that large transfers of money to Nick du Toit, as well as approximately US$2 million coming in from an untraceable and unknown source.citation needed On September 10, Simon Mann was sentenced to seven years in jail. His compatriots received year sentences for violating immigration laws and their two pilots got 16 months. The group's Boeing 727 was seized, as well as the US$180,000 that was found on board the plane.

Charges dropped and extradition

On 23 February 2007, the charges were dropped against Mann and the other alleged conspirators in South Africa. Mann remained in Zimbabwe, where he was convicted of charges from the same incident.2 On 2 May 2007 a Zimbabwe court ruled that Mann should be extradited to Equatorial Guinea to face charges. The Zimbabwean judge ruled that he should be extradited to Equatorial Guinea, although the Zimbabweans have promised that he will not be faced with the death penalty. His extradition has been described as the "oil for Mann" deal, in reference to the large amounts of oil that Mugabe has managed to secure from Equatorial Guinea. The Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea, where Mann is likely to be sent, is notorious for its bad conditions. Inmates rarely get medical treatment and are often starved and tortured. One of Mann's co-conspirators has already died at Black Beach.citation needed Mann lost his last appeal against the decision to extradite him.410 In a last ditch effort on January 30, 2008, Mann tried to appeal the judgment to the Zimbabwean Supreme Court.11 The next day Mann was deported to Equatorial Guinea in secret, leading to claims by his lawyers that the extradition was hastened to defeat the possibility of appeal to the Supreme Court.1213

Response by UK Parliamentarians

Concern for Simon Mann's plight was raised in the UK Parliament in the year of his arrest in Zimbabwe by three Conservative Members of Parliament.141516 In the two years after government of Equatorial Guinea applied for his extradition, three further Conservative Party MPs submitted written questions.171819

However, it was the sudden extradition which drew the greatest response. Julian Lewis said in Parliament:

“ My constituent, Mr. Simon Mann, has completed his jail sentence in Zimbabwe but has been transferred by the Mugabe regime to a potentially terrible fate in Equatorial Guinea, despite the fact that his appeals processes have not been completed and despite the assurances given to the British ambassador to Zimbabwe that that would not happen. May we have a statement as soon as possible on the Floor of the House from the Foreign Secretary about what action is going to be taken? Quiet diplomacy has failed and we now have to save Mr. Mann, whatever he has or has not done, from torture and a horrible death in a terrible situation.20 ”

His position was supported by three other Conservative MPs during the debate.212223 Written questions were submitted by a fourth.24 There was a request for the United States administration, who has had access to Simon Mann in Black Beach Prison on 6 February 2008, to exert its influence "to secure [his] safe return".25

UK officials were granted access to him on 12 February. 26 The only non-Conservative Party MP to submit a question in Parliament about him was Vince Cable,27 although an Early Day Motion about his treatment in prison has received cross-party support.28

Equatorial Guinea trial

Robert Young Pelton, who was in Equatorial Guinea at the time took the first and only photographs of Simon Mann in Black Beach prison which were published in the Daily Mail.citation needed Although Mann's lawyer, the media and his wife Amanda (who has never phoned him or visited him)citation needed insisted he was being mistreated, the UK Ambassador Harris and the US Intel Officer visited Mann and confirmed he is in good health and good spirits.citation needed However, given Equatorial Guinea's dictatorship, and extremely bad human rights record, there cannot be a true guarantee. In a recent interview broadcast on Channel Four, Mann was filmed shackled with red wounds on both his arms and legs caused by the restraints.citation needed Furthermore Channel Four, whilst being told repeatedly by Mann (arguably under duress) and a Guinean official of the good conditions of Black Beach, noted no filming or viewing inside the prison was allowed.

On 8 March 2008, Channel 4 in the UK won a legal battle to broadcast an interview with Mann in which he sensationally named British political figures, including Ministers, alleged to have given tacit approval to the coup plot.29

In testimony that could prove highly damaging to the Government, he spoke 'frankly' about the events leading to the botched attempt to topple Equatorial Guinea's president.29

On 7 July 2008, Mann was sentenced by the Equatorial Guinea court to more than thirty four years in jail.5

Mann in popular media

  • In 2002 Mann played Colonel Wilford of the Parachute Regiment for Granada Television's Bloody Sunday, a dramatization by Paul Greengrass of the events of Bloody Sunday.
  • The alleged coup planned for Equatorial Guinea is the subject of the film Coup!, written by John Fortune. Simon Mann is played by Jared Harris, with Robert Bathurst as Mark Thatcher. (The film takes care not to suggest that Thatcher knew about the coup plot.) It was broadcast on BBC 2 on June 30, 2006 and on ABC (Australia) on January 21, 2008.30
  • Miramax Films reportedly is in development of a feature film version of Wonga, and production company, Shooting Stars (London) Ltd are also developing a feature loosely based on the press accounts of the Equatorial Guinea attempted Coup, entitled "Overthrow."citation needed

See also

References

  1. ^ Andy McSmith and Basildon Peta (2 February 2008). "Zimbabwe sends British mercenary to face the despot he plotted to overthrow" (HTML). The Independent. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  2. ^ a b "SA court drops coup plot charges" (HTML). BBC News (23 February 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  3. ^ Kim Sengupta (11 May 2007). "Coup plotter faces life in Africa's most notorious jail" (HTML). pub. Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  4. ^ a b "UK mercenary on trial in E Guinea" (HTML). BBC News (05:34 GMT, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 06:34 UK). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  5. ^ a b Mann jailed for Eq. Guinea coup plot, Reuters, July 7, 2008.
  6. ^ "'Mercenary leader' found guilty" (HTML). BBC News (27 August, 2004). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  7. ^ "Zimbabwe jails UK 'coup plotter'" (HTML). BBC News (10 September, 2004). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  8. ^ Russell Miller (June 8, 2008). "Mark Thatcher: Man on the run" (HTML). The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2008-06-17. "in January 2005 Sir Mark pleaded guilty in South Africa, after a plea bargain, to “unwittingly” abetting the coup. He was fined 3 million rand (£266,000), given a suspended four-year jail term, and obliged to leave South Africa, his home for a decade."
  9. ^ "Coup plotters jailed in E Guinea" (HTML). BBC News (26 November, 2004). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  10. ^ Mann in the middle of two African dictators Hugh Russel The First Post May 2, 2007
  11. ^ BBC NEWS, Mann loses extradition appeal
  12. ^ "Zimbabwe deports Mann to E Guinea" (HTML). BBC News (1 February 2008). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.
  13. ^ David Pallister. "Zimbabwe accused as Briton sent to Equatorial Guinea jail". The Guardian. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
  14. ^ Henry Bellingham Debates, 18 March 2004 col. 449 Business of the House
  15. ^ Peter Bottomley Written answers, 20 May 2004 col. 1168W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  16. ^ Hugo Swire Written answers, 9 December 2004 col. 730W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  17. ^ Ben Wallace Written answers, 5 June 2006 col. 317W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Equatorial Guinea
  18. ^ James Arbuthnot Written answers, 14 December 2006 col. 1302W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  19. ^ Geoffrey Clifton-Brown Written answers, 7 July 2007 col. 1005W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  20. ^ Julian Lewis Debates, 7 February 2008 col. 1134 Business of the House
  21. ^ John Whittingdale Debates, 7 February 2008 col. 1137 Business of the House
  22. ^ Richard Benyon Debates, 7 February 2008 col. 1138 Business of the House
  23. ^ Mark Harper Debates, 7 February 2008 col. 1139 Business of the House
  24. ^ Iain Duncan Smith Written answers, 18 February 2008 col. 181W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  25. ^ Julian Lewis Written answers, 18 February 2008 col. 180W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Simon Mann
  26. ^ Earl Cathcart Lords Written answers, 20 February 2008 col. WA66 House of Lords - Equatorial Guinea: Simon Mann
  27. ^ Vince Cable Written answers, 21 February 2008 col. 180W Foreign and Commonwealth affairs - Equatorial Guinea: Prisoners
  28. ^ "EDM: Conduct of Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea towards Mr Simon Mann". UK Parliament (6 May 2008).
  29. ^ a b I was not the main man Jonathan Miller Channel 4 March 11 2008
  30. ^ "BBC Drama - Coup!" (HTML). BBC (June 30, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-17.

Further reading

  • Robert Young Pelton. Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror, Reprint edition (August 28, 2007), Three Rivers Press, 368. ISBN 1400097827.  - covers the coup attempt and aftermath by Nick du Toit and Simon Mann
  • Robert Young Pelton. Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific, First edition (December 1, 2003), The Lyons Press, 320. ISBN 1592281001.  - covers the birth and rise of Executive Outcomes and Sandline as well as the events in Sierra Leone and Bougainville
  • Roberts, Adam (2006). The Wonga Coup, Guns, Thugs and a Ruthless Determination to Create Mayhem in an Oil-Rich Corner of Africa. Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1586483715. 

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