George Soros 'plotted to oust Equatorial Guinea's leader'
27 June 2017
Former British mercenary Simon Mann, who led a failed coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea in 2004, has accused US billionaire George Soros of plotting to overthrow the country's government.
He said he had warned President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Africa's longest serving leader, of the alleged plan in 2011.
But he said he did not have any proof, and Mr Soros has not yet commented.
Simon Mann made the remarks as he was testifying on behalf of Mr Obiang's son at a high-profile trial in Paris.
Teodorin Obiang Nguema is accused of using public money to fund his jetset lifestyle in France.
Simon Mann, 65, a former commando and businessman, was arrested in Zimbabwe in 2004 and extradited four years later to Equatorial Guinea, where he was sentenced to 34 years in prison.
But one year later he was released after being pardoned by Mr Obiang.
In his testimony in a Paris court, he also accused William Bourdon, a lawyer for the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International, of being part of the alleged plot, as well as exiled opposition leader Severo Moto Nsa and Lebanese businessman Ely Khalil.
Both Mr Moto and Mr Khalil were involved in the failed coup attempt of 2004, which sought to install Mr Moto as president of the oil-rich West African country.
"I explained to the president it [the coup] could be by any means," he told the court. "They were looking at all options, including legal."
However, he said he could not "prove" his claim, saying: "I don't have written evidence."
When he was asked if he had been paid to give his testimony, he said he only had his expenses covered.
Mr Bourdon, who is representing civil plaintiffs in the case against the president's son on behalf of Transparency International France, said the allegations were "extremely grave", saying that Simon Mann "had plumbed the depths of filth."
Simon Mann led an attempt to oust Equatorial Guinea's president
Outside the court, Simon Mann said that the high-profile trial of Teodorin Obiang Nguema was an attempt to "destabilise and overthrow" the "recognised and legitimate regime" of Equatorial Guinea.
Teodorin Obiang Nguema, who is also the country's vice-president, is accused of buying a mansion and sports cars in France with a fortune amassed from public funds.
His six-storey Paris villa, estimated to be worth more than $100m (£80m), is located on Avenue Foch, in one the most prestigious neighbourhoods of the French capital. It reportedly boasts a cinema, spa, hair salon and taps covered in gold leaf.
Mr Obiang, who was not in court, denies the allegations. Equatorial Guinea has questioned France's right to put him on trial, arguing Mr Obiang has diplomatic immunity.
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Eldon Elliott, the owner of Elliott's Body Shop, the Ryder rental outlet in Junction City, Kan., and Tom Kessinger, a mechanic there, insisted that ''Robert Kling,'' who paid $280 cash and said he did not need insurance because he was a careful driver, was, in fact, Mr. McVeigh.
In the first of two days of pretrial hearings before Judge Richard P. Matsch of Federal District Court, the credibility of both men was called into question by Stephen Jones, Mr. McVeigh's lawyer, who wants their testimony and that of seven others barred.
Pretrial publicity, Mr. Jones argued, has irretrievably tainted their ability to make an honest identification of Mr. McVeigh, who is charged with the bombing. Terry L. Nichols, was also charged and will be tried separately, and his lawyers also asked that the testimony of some witnesses be excluded. The defense is expected to argue that Mr. Kling was someone else.
Mr. Kessinger has already conceded that he had made a mistake when he said the square-jawed man who came to be known as John Doe No. 2 had accompanied Mr. McVeigh. The man he described was actually Pvt. Todd Bunting of the Army, who rented a truck a day later and had no connection with the bombing.
Today, under an onslaught of questions from Mr. Jones, Mr. Kessinger said he was absolutely certain that the man he described as John Doe No. 1 was Mr. McVeigh.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Mr. Kessinger said he was sitting in the back of the truck rental office, taking a break at about 4:15 P.M. on Monday, April 17, 1995, when he saw two men come into the shop. They stood at the counter and began speaking with Vicki Beemer, who handled the paperwork that day.
Mr. Kessinger noticed Mr. McVeigh, he said, because of something Mr. McVeigh said, which was not disclosed in court, and he watched the two men for about 10 minutes.
His first conversation with Scott Crabtree, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation was at 4:45 P.M. on April 19, the day the Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed, Mr. Kessinger said.
Today Mr. Elliott said he was alone in the rental office on Saturday, April 15, when a man who called himself Robert Kling came in at about 9 A.M. to reserve a large Ryder truck he said he wanted to drive to Nebraska and then on to Iowa.
''I asked him if he needed more miles,'' Mr. Elliott said. ''He said no, but he wanted more days.'' He didn't want insurance, Mr. Elliott said, because he said ''I'm not going very far, I'm used to driving trucks out of Fort Riley, and I'm a careful driver.''
The rental, for which Mr. McVeigh paid cash in advance took ''5 to 10 minutes at most,'' Mr. Elliott said. The customer wanted the truck ready at 4 o'clock on Monday afternoon, and ''I said the truck will be ready.''
On April 17, Mr. Elliott said, he walked into the rental office and ''saw Mr. Kling five feet away. I walked up to him and asked him again about insurance. Another person was standing there. I glanced at him.''
''I walked between the two of them,'' Mr. Elliott recalled, when he went out to inspect the truck. The second man was shorter than Mr. McVeigh, Mr. Elliott said, but he can remember nothing else about the second man except his ''white hat with blue lightning bolts on the side.''
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