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French OFF Connection Arrest
Charles Pasqua has been a central figure in French politics for three decades. Once described as the man who knows all the secrets, he served twice as minister of interior, first in the late 1980s when Jacques Chirac was prime minister and again in the left-right co-habitation of the Mitterrand presidency of the early 1990s.For years French magistrates have been investigating his financial records, probing allegations that he received bribes and illicit funds generated by influence-trafficking and other activities, including arms sales to Angola. Mr Pasqua has never been convicted of any wrongdoing. Indeed last September he won a seat in the French Senate - a position which confers immunity against prosecution. But the Financial Times and the Italian business daily Il Sole 24 Ore can reveal that he is about to face a fresh set of allegations which focus on his contacts with Iraq under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Documents obtained by Philippe Courroye, a French magistrate, during a visit to New York to meet investigators from the United Nations' committee of special inquiry suggest that the former minister and Bernard Guillet, his diplomatic adviser, received and traded lucrative oil allocations through amiddleman. On Wednesday Mr Pasqua could not be reached for comment. Last year, when his name was first linked to the oil-for-food inquiry, he said: "All this is ridiculous. I categorically deny any involvement." Mr Guillet was in police custody having been arrested on Tuesday in connection with the oil-for-food inquiry. snip Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-04-28 |
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