Mark Thatcher Says He Was Denied U.S. Visa
Sun Apr 3, 2005 09:41 AM ET
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LONDON (Reuters) - Mark Thatcher said Sunday he was refused a visa to enter the United States because of his conviction in South Africa related to a failed coup plot.
The son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher pleaded guilty in January in a court in Cape Town to a role in a mercenary plot to overthrow the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea. He was given a four-year suspended sentence and a $500,000 fine in a plea bargain.
The 51-year-old had been hoping to join his American-born wife Diane, and his two children, who have been living in the United States.
He said in a statement to the BBC: "It is quite true that my visa application has been rejected. It was always a calculated risk when I plea-bargained in South Africa.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8069732