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–Spain relations relations with Equatorial Guinea due to repression by President Nguema and his verbal attacks against the Spanish government. By 1978, Spain was prepared to send troops to the nation to intervene and evacuate its citizens if they were particularly targeted by President Nguema. In August 1979, a coup d'état was led by Lieutenant Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the nephew of President Nguema. That same month, Lieutenant Obiang formerly asked the Spanish government for military assistant, however, it was refused. That same month, President Nguema was captured by opposition forces and executed. Lieutenant Obiang became the second President of Equatorial Guinea.