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Latest update: 22/07/2009
- investigation - Ivory Coast - kidnapping
Army witness claims first lady's entourage kidnapped a journalist
A major in the army of the Ivory Coast claims that the entourage belonging to Simone Gbagbo – the nation’s first lady – is implicated in the disappearance of Franco-Canadian journalist, Guy Andre Kieffer, in April 2004.
Alain Gosse, a major in the army of Ivory Coast, claimed in an interview with French television channel France 3 that people close to Simone Gbagbo – the nation’s first lady – are implicated in the disappearance of Franco-Canadian journalist, Guy Andre Kieffer. The journalist went missing in April 2004.
In the interview, aired on Wednesday, Gosse said Gbagbo herself “was not overly implicated, but her cabinet was” as well as those closest to her.
Gosse, who left Ivory Coast after the interview (which was originally taped in April 2009), says he was on duty in the presidential palace on April 16, 2004, and that he saw Kieffer.
Kieffer was last seen alive on the same date in a car park in Abidjan, where he was meant to have met with Michel Legre, the brother-in-law of Simone Gbagbo. His body has never been found.
“He was in a small cell, the kind of place where they often kept suspects,” said Gosse. “I exchanged words with him through the bars; he asked me for water and cigarettes.”
Gosse claims in the interview that three men served as “interrogators” to Kieffer – the head of security for Simone Gbagbo, head of security for the presidential palace and a third man who is suspected of having been the kidnappers' ringleader. The latter, named Jean-Tony Oulai, is in temporary custody in France.
In April, two judges were sent from France to Ivory Coast to interrogate Gbagbo, as well as the minister of national planning, Paul-Antoine Bohoun Bouabre – who was often a target of Kieffer’s articles.
“It’s a crucial step,” said Alexis Gublin, the lawyer representing Kieffer’s brother. “This new testimony makes us confident about the progress of the investigation.”
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Comments (3)
FRENCH LIAR
First of all, you guys must be thinking that we are dupe. You better think twice. your game is so lame.
The president and the first lady of Cote D'Ivoire have nothing to do but to chase some franco-canadian so called journalist for what? do your president (FRANCE) do actually chase after immigrant or any person in France soil? what is this stupid story of trying hardly to pin the death of somebody on the president's wife. So you think Ivory Coast Army doesn't have the list of all the people register in their army? you think you can just find a burkinabe and mount a stupid story like this one to sell? SHAME ON YOU FRANCE 24 and your DUM PRESIDENT SARKOZY . Keep up with your stupidity and B***S***! The proud people of COTE D'IVOIRE will never bend over or lay flat on the ground to let you racist son of b*** walk over them. Slavery is over!!! Get out of AFRICA!!! Colonist. This not RWANDA or BURUNDI !! LONG LIVE IVORY COAST AND its PRESIDENT!!!!!!!!!
French liars and always crminals
When is france t to come to term with the true fact that, the days of papa france are over? The soon, the better for those poor french business nationals who want live in a peaceful and trully demoicratic African Prosperous sttate. This little tyke of Polish man racist criminal of a useless president ( is it sarko or srakezee?) thinks he is going to be the one to kill our true hero (L.G). HE BETTER THINK TWICE AS HE WILL HAVE US ON HIS WAY. FRANE 3 OR 24. KEEP GIVING FALSE HOPES TO THE FAMILLY OF THE DEPARTED KIEFFER WITH YOUR PHONEY WITNESSES, FOR YOU ARE AS GUILTY AS sarko.
Kidnapped journalist
The French version of the article clearly states "c`est son cabinet oui! Sa garde rapprochée!". Garde rapprochee has something to do with military. When the english version says "her cabinet was” as well as those closest to her", it is a distortion of what was said by the so called withness. It is misleading because "garde rapprochee" refers to armed forces when "those closest to her" could be anybody. I personally believe that one is desperately looking to find a way to involve the president and his wife into these shaninagans. The Ivorian authorities have discovered relevant issues between Kieffer and some of his "buddies" who wanted a piece of him. The french have been made aware of this but did nothing to follow that lead. The Ivoy Coast is definitely not Rwanda. France cannot summon our authorities.