2004 Equatorial Guinea coup d'état attempt five calls to Sir Mark Thatcher in the days after the failed coup. On 13 January 2005, Mark Thatcher, in a South African court, pleaded guilty to helping finance a coup plot in Equatorial Guinea. South African police were able to prove that Mr Thatcher had transferred about US$285,000 to the mercenaries that were to execute the operation and had met and talked frequently to them prior to the coup attempt. After pleading guilty, he was given a four-year suspended sentence and a fine of about US$560,000. Simon Mann paid $500,000 (£281,000) towards the plot, according to a list of
Equatorial Guinea–North Korea relations Equatorial Guinea–North Korea relations Equatorial Guinea–North Korea relations () refers to the current and historical relationship between Equatorial Guinea and North Korea. While Equatorial Guinea has no representation in North Korea, it is one of few African states to have a North Korean embassy, located in the capital of Malabo. Diplomatic relations between Equatorial Guinea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, commonly known as North Korea) were established in 1969, a year after Equatoguinean independence from Spain. The country's first leader, soon-to-be President for Life Francisco Macías Nguema, would come to lead one of the most brutal regimes