African Oil, Ex-SAS Mercenaries And Shares That Could Be About To Boom

If ex-SAS officer Simon Mann had known what we know… perhaps he could have got a legal slice of Equatorial Guineas’ $150 billion oil fortune… and wouldn’t be languishing in jail right now…

The tiny country of Equatorial Guinea is on high alert...

Pot-holed streets in its steamy capital, Malabo, swarm with soldiers. Patrol boats anxiously cruise off the coast…

The country faces an invasion… of journalists.

They’re all here to cover the trial of Simon Mann, the Old Etonian mercenary who attempted to overthrow the President of this West African country in 2004.

But as the media’s gaze descends the country thanks to Mann’s trial... something else is about to become glaringly obvious.

And it could send the shares of one uniquely positioned company through the roof.

Before I give you all the details, let us first scratch the surface...

The mercenary... the mastermind... and the failed plot for African power

You’ll probably remember the case: Mann and his co-plotters, including Sir Mark Thatcher, were accused of trying to replace the ageing dictator, Teodoro Obiang, with the exiled opposition leader, Severo Moto.

Also on the alleged list of plotters, is the Chelsea-based Lebanese oil tycoon, Eli Calil – the alleged mastermind of the plot.

Unfortunately for them, things didn’t quite go as planned.

Their plane was grounded in Harare airport and Mann and his team of 70 mercenaries ended up in the country’s Chikurubi prison. He was deported to Equatorial Guinea in February this year.

Amusingly, Mann has protested that his deportation from Zimbabwe is a contravention of Zimbabwean law. Now he’s about to face the music…

It is all over the newspapers today – The Times has a two-page spread on the story; and Channel 4 News had a special broadcast from Equatorial Guinea last night, including interviews with Simon Mann and President Obiang.

There’s absolutely no doubt the coup plot was very real. Mann has admitted to it. Mark Thatcher pled guilty of “unwittingly” helping to finance it. He was fined £250,000 and given a suspended four-year jail sentence by a South African court…

Mann’s punishment will be infinitely worse.

“I was bloody stupid,” he says in the Channel 4 interview. “…Mea culpa…”

Obiang on the other hand shows a tropical exuberance and calls him a “criminal bastard.”

The real reason for the coup: $150 billion worth of oil

One of the most amusing things about Mann’s interview is his claim that he attempted to depose Obiang to end his oppression of the Equatoguinean people.

Now, Obiang isn’t the nicest chap around, but the idea that Mann & Co. were actually trying to stage a coup for the benefit of the country’s people is a ridiculous joke.

It’s all about the oil.

Remember this tiny country has the third biggest oil reserves in Africa.

With oil now at a record of almost $140 per barrel, this little country is sitting on about $150 billion worth of the black stuff.

One of the things that emerged from Channel 4’s interview last night was the alleged details of Mann’s contract with Severo Moto.

In return for installing the exiled opposition leader as the new head of state, Mann and his allies were to receive control over a huge swathe of the country’s economy.

He stood to make millions.

But this isn’t just the tale of a swashbuckling Englishman come to grief…

If you’ve watched that interview, you’d have seen that President Obiang makes a very good point.

The Americans have huge business interests in his country and it’s impossible to believe that they weren’t aware of the coup plans. Obiang says the British government was probably aware of it too, although he admits he hasn’t got any hard evidence to prove it.

Obiang says he’s learned of a plot to “silence” Mr. Mann, so the trial is being conducted with maximum security. Absolutely nothing is being left to chance. Mann has special guards in prison and his food is checked before he eats it.

The location of the trial was only publicly disclosed last night.

Journalists were only allowed into the court in short-sleeved shirts and flip-flops – no pens or watches either.

“Today there are all sorts of sophisticated gadgets and weaponry which can easily pass undetected,” said Mr Obiang.

The Government had even wanted to surround Mr Mann with bullet-proof screens, but wasn’t able to install them in time.

Are they being just a little bit paranoid here?

Maybe not…

West Africa is vital to the Americans’ goal of reducing their dependency on the Middle East for oil. They aim to secure 25% of their oil supplies from the Gulf of Guinea and that has made the region the latest global energy hot spot.

But the Americans aren’t having it all their way...

The Chinese have come charging into Equatorial Guinea too.

So, a nice little coup to install a friendly pro-Western regime must have seemed a very attractive option to the power brokers in Washington and Houston…

And if you can dress it up as a victory for democracy, so much the better.

The one company sitting on an absolute goldmine

For Profit Hunters it’s an excellent reminder of just how valuable an asset our pan-African conglomerate is sitting on in a uniquely located port within Equatorial Guinea.

In fact, it’s the linchpin around which much of the Gulf of Guinea’s oil industry is going to revolve.

Right now, we could be sitting on a virtual goldmine.

The world hasn’t woken-up to this story yet, but it isn’t going stay that way for much longer.

Mann’s trial is probably going to focus a lot attention on this little country and its $150 billion of oil reserves – and that can only be to the benefit our brilliantly positioned company. So, thank you Mr. Mann.

We’re looking forward to this trial. We’re probably going to end-up learning a lot of things about the battle for Africa’s oil that many people would prefer to keep out of the news.

For Mann though, things are looking a little bit less exciting.

“You go tiger hunting and you don’t expect the tiger to win…” he observes in the interview…

Fortunately for us, it did. And it could do so for you to. Everything you need to know about this potential profit play is right here in this special briefing.

Enjoy.

Regards,

Manraaj Singh
Editor
Profit Hunter
P.S. If you enjoyed this article then we encourage you to sign up for Profit Hunter. Track down exciting opportunities in the worlds’ emerging markets and always stay ahead of the curve.

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African Oil, Ex-SAS Mercenaries And Shares That Could Be About To Boom

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African Oil, Ex-SAS Mercenaries And Shares That Could Be About To Boom