Tony Buckingham

Anthony Leslie Rowland "Tony" Buckingham is an oil industry executive with a significant share holding in Heritage Oil Corporation. Heritage is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange since 1999. In 2008, Heritage listed on the London Stock Exchange.^[1] Buckingham's direct and indirect share holding is estimated to represent 33% of Heritage. This share was reduced in November 2007 via a share placement made through JP Morgan and Canaccord.

Private military background

Buckingham is a former partner of the private military company Executive Outcomes.^[2] He has had no involvement with such organizations since 1999 and has focused his time on running Heritage.^{[citation needed]} He was part of the coup of Valentine Strasser and was part of a group of mercenaries defending the NPRC, which later collapsed. To this day his name is still linked to these events and the fall of the government.^[3]

Oil background

Buckingham, the current CEO^[4] and major shareholder of Heritage, has led the company through major exploration finds, including the hydrocarbon system in Lake Albert, Uganda and the M’Boundi oilfield in the Republic of Congo. This positive track record should continue as a result of the recently awarded licenses in the Iraqi Kurdistan and Mali.

DiamondWorks

Anthony Buckingham, became the controlling shareholder and director of DiamondWorks when DiamondWorks' acquired a private company, Branch Energy Ltd., based on the Isle of Man for US$24.4-million in 1995-6. Branch Energy Ltd had a mining lease on the diamond bearing Koidu property in Sierra Leone. In the early 1990s Buckingham's military consultancy was retained by Sierra Leone and Angola to provide mercenaries to improve security conditions for foreign mining companies which included his Executive Outcomes (EO), who provided protection to DiamondWorks. Executive Outcomes (EO) and DiamondWorks shared offices in London with Sandline International, another military consultancy. London-headquartered, Johannesburg-based diamond exploration company DiamondWorks Ltd. (TSX: DMW) was one of three junior mining firms that traded on Canadian stock exchanges, (along with Toronto-based AmCan Minerals and Rex Diamond) that contacted Sierra Leone's President Momoh in the early 1990s when the president was seeking new investors. DiamondWorks was "an outgrowth of Carson Gold and Vengold, companies promoted by Robert and Eric Friedland. DiamondWorks and Branch Energy became "the subject of widespread interest because of their apparent but much-denied connections with two major international security firms, Executive Outcomes and Sandline." It has been argued that "regardless of Executive Outcome’s own purpose, its involvement in Sierra Leone was in a good cause. EO successfully protected a democratically elected government against a brutal and illegitimate rebel force." Buckingham resigned from DiamondWorks in 1998 retaining a 25 percent share.^[5][6][7]

Sailing

Buckingham is an avid and accomplished sailor, competing on behalf of Great Britain on many occasions.^{[citation needed]} He has won many trophies at various regattas including Cowes Week and won the Commodore's Cup in 2000.^[8]

References

External links

• Licensed to Kill, Hired Guns in the War on Terror, by Robert Young Pelton (ISBN 1-4000-9781-9)
• Hunter Hammer and Heaven, Journeys to Three World's Gone Mad, by Robert Young Pelton (ISBN 1-58574-416-6)
• Michael Bilton "The Private War of Tumbledown Tim", London Sunday Times Magazine special investgiation and cover story, 2 July 2000.
• Mercenary boss evicts gem miners in Namibia
• Heritage Oil Corporation
• Tullow Oil
• The Wonga Coup from an African Perspective