Angola - corruption - France - oil
Establishment figures in the dock at 'Angolagate' trial
Tuesday 07 October 2008
More than 40 French personalities suspected of illegal arms appeared in a Paris court over the so-called "Angolagate" scandal. The son of former French President François Mitterrand attracted much of the attention.
Tuesday 07 October 2008
By Marie Sophie JOUBERT (text)Also read:
Angola tries to stop 'Angolagate' trial
French elite on trial in 'Angolagate'
The ‘Angolagate’ trial, a major controversy concerning an arms racket involving the Angolan regime and more than 40 French personalities, started in Paris on Monday.
At 1:30 pm, 42 people were brought to court, among them several French political figures. They are suspected of arms trafficking to Angola between 1993 and 1998.
Pierre Falcone is accused of masterminding the arms deals. The first to answer the judge’s questions, he looks at him right in the eye. The two men are less than two metres apart. The accused gives his personal details: “Pierre Falcone, born in Algiers, Angolan resident.” He then states his fiscal status: €4 million in income per year, plus a property portfolio worth €15 million. Finally, his nationalities: “French, Angolan, with a Brazilian identity card.”
Like Falcone, Gaydamak is accused of having sold an arsenal worth $790 million to Angola while the civil war raged there. The arms were bought in the former Eastern Bloc without clearance from the French government. In Gaydamak’s absence, Judge Jean-Baptiste Parlos must speak in his stead. With acerbic humour, he states the three birthdates, two names and five known nationalities of the accused.
After the parading of several unknowns, the star attraction’s hour has come: Jean-Christophe Mitterand, the eldest son of the late French president.
The broad-shouldered man is so soft-spoken that his voice is barely audible. “Born 1946. I reside at my mother’s, rue de Breteuil. No income, no assets.” He probably knows the press watches his case hungrily. He is suspected of taking bribes from Falcone, and risks up to five years in prison for conspiring with an illicit arms enterprise and misuse of company funds.
Swiftly behind him is bestselling author Paul-Loup Sulitzer, who declares a €62,000 annual income, adding cynically: “It used to be much higher.”
Eventually, Jacques Attali (a FRANCE 24 columnist) takes the stand. “€1.2 million this year, one house, one apartment, studios and about €500,000 in personal property.” The former advisor to François Mitterand, who recently drafted an economic growth plan for the French presidency, is suspected of having used his influence to help Falcone’s company escape fines. He risks up to five years in prison for “passive complicity”.
After these celebrities, five unknown women are called before the judge, provoking a curious contrast. They used to work as hostesses for the companies involved in the scandal – some of them did it as a student job. They seem not to understand why they are there. The judge tells them they are accused of receiving misused company funds.
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ANALYSIS
"What the French do in Africa is under closer scrutiny." (Report by Angela Yeoh)
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06/11/2008 10:54:04 Alert a moderator
Angolagate and consequences for the Angolans
By Nsanda - Angola, Luanda
This deal helped the ruling communists to decapitate the oposition in Angola by assassinating Mr. Savimbi and other political oponents. Dos Santos as a president has never been elected but still ruling the Country since 1979. No freedom of speech is allowed, no equity on the distribution of the country whealth. The majority of angolans do live with less than one US Dolar per day, no treated water, no electricity and no habitations.A house can cost up to 3 000 000.00U$. MPLA and Dos Santos are a Club of Bandits, they are simply Criminals who steal everything and buy or kill everyone who comes accross their way. The angolans are suffering from this ruling elite originated from Sao Tome and Principe, Cape Vert, Katanga(DRC), Macau, Goa, Portugal, Brasil. To save his traffic Partners, without even consulting the Parliament or anybody else and just using the arogance of being president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos has offered citizenship to both Falcone and Gaydamack (Russian) and Diplomatic Passports with corresponding immunities... Jose Eduardo is married to a Russian Lady whose first daughter Isabel dos Santos (married to another millionaire, Sindika Dokolo, a euro-african DRC-Sweden or Danmark) is now the mega billionaire of Angola with investments in all the 5 Continents of the planet. They own everything. No other investor can come to Angola without passing through them and the generals of the army or central comittee or polit Bureau of mpla.
Justice must be done for the honour of the fallen Angolans during this criminal war.
They used this arms to topple elected governments in neighbouring countries to put their dictator friends like in the two Congos, Zambia, Ivory Cost, etc... They just wanted to make sure that no oposing movement could come form those countries for the safety of their one man one party Rule.
08/10/2008 18:05:37 Alert a moderator
An gola gate
By Anonyme - United States
While politicians vacuously talk about democracy, freedom and transparency, it would be wise to listen to many of the voices so critical of the West and the former Soviet Union who, almost in unison, scream about watching the major money trails if you desire to understand this sentiment and you want to know what's really going on. Indeed, was not Osama bin Laden privy to some of the major money trails involving Saudi Arabian royalty in his younger years? In just a few words, this article about arms trafficking is quite telling.