‘Wonga Coup’ tycoon dies in freak fall

AN OIL baron said to have been at the centre of the infamous Wonga Coup in West Africa died in a freak accident at his mansion earlier this week.

Ely Calil, 72, was found after apparently falling down the stairs of the multimillion rand property in Holland Park, West London. A close friend said the tycoon “broke his neck”.

He is best known for being accused of plotting to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea in return for cash and oil rights – a conspiracy that also embroiled former British Prime Minister Lady Margaret Thatcher’s son Mark, who lived in Cape Town at the time.

The Wonga Coup was led by British mercenaries but ended in disaster in 2004 when a Boeing packed with men and weapons was seized during a stop-off in Zimbabwe.

Former SAS officer Simon Mann, who led the mercenaries and served several years in African jails, said Calil betrayed him.

Scotland Yard said Calil was “pronounced dead at the scene”, and although his death was “unexplained” there were no suspicious circumstances.

His legal team confirmed Calil’s death but said his family, including third wife Renuka, 59, and five children, would not comment.

Mann said Calil had failed him over the failed coup. “He was the person who recruited me and failed to back me as he promised,” he said.

“He can’t sue me now. He was ultimately dishonest. He let me down. He promised many things and failed to deliver. Ultimately that led to the coup not working.

“He was an extraordinary guy. He was very charming, very clever but also devious and manipulative. There are a lot of stories about him.”

Calil was an aggressive litigant and his lawyers forced Mann to remove his name from his explosive memoir about the coup, which got its name from the “Wonga list” of alleged financial backers.

Born in Nigeria, but of Lebanese heritage and holding British citizenship, Calil built a reputed £100 million (R1.6 billion) empire.

He diversified from the family oil mill and groundnut business into property and finance while mixing with those at the heart of British Establishment.

Operating from a £12m Chelsea mansion, and with other properties in Switzerland and Nigeria, Calil was a friend of Jeffrey Archer for years.

He was invited to a Downing Street dinner hosted by the then prime minister Sir John Major’s wife, Norma. Calil was also a friend of former Blairite minister Lord Mandelson.

Despite his success, much of his business dealings remained shrouded in secrecy or overshadowed by controversy. In June 2002, he was questioned by French police over huge payments by a French oil company to a former Nigerian dictator.

Calil was accused of taking £40m in backhanders for “fixing” a giant contract for Elf in Nigeria. He denied wrongdoing, and was released.

He also denied involvement in the Wonga plot, despite being accused of helping to organise and fund it. Sir Mark Thatcher was also accused of being one of its financiers. – Daily Mail