Posted on 10/11/2005 4:31:54 AM PDT by HAL9000
Pétrole/nourriture: the former ambassador of France to UNO in police custody
PARIS - a former French ambassador with UNO, Jean-Bernard Mérimée, was placed in police custody within the framework of the French investigation on embezzlements supposed related to the program "oil against food" in Iraq, one learned Tuesday from sources close to the file.
Mr. Mérimée, 68 years, which was permanent representative of France to the Security Council of UNO between 1991 and 1995, was placed in police custody Monday by judge Philippe Courroye with the Brigade of repression of the economic delinquency (BRDE).
The judge suspects it of having profited from generosities of the mode from Saddam Hussein in the form of goods from purchase from oil or "allowances" between 1996 and
Mr. Mérimée, who should be submitted in front of the magistrate Wednesday, could have to answer to have benefitted from these "allowances" in the form of commissions with the resale, according to a source close to the file.
The French diplomat is one of the eleven personalities likely to have profited from advantages in exchange of his support for the Iraqi mode.
According to documents' collected fine April March-beginning by Mr. Courroye near UNO, the ex-minister of the Interior Charles Pasqua is in particular quoted, among these eleven personalities.
Five people out of the eleven were already put in examination to date by Courroye judge: the secretary-general of the association of the Friendships free-Iraqi Gilles Munier, the former diplomatic adviser of Mr. Pasqua Bernard Guillet, the diplomat Serge Boidevaix, the businessman Claude Kaspereit and the journalist Palestinian Hamida Na' Na.
This instruction open in Paris in 2002 on facts of "abus of social goods" to the damage of the oil company Total, made it possible to recently highlight skirtings of the U.N. program "oil against food" in Iraq of Saddam Hussein.
At the end of June 2005, the parquet floor authorized the magistrate to inquire into possible operations of corruption of foreign civils servant for obtaining oil between 2001 and 2003, the qualification being applicable in French right only since September 2000.
Good catch. Get'r in Breaking News.
Ha! My only regret is that it wasn't Dominique de Villipain.
(Waiting for this to be covered in ABBCNNBCBS.)
(Still waiting.)
(Still waiting.)
(Still waiting.)
(Still waiting.)
(Still waiting.)
Will Kofi Annan or his son be next (hopefully)?
My thoughts exactly!
LLS
Hal, good catch, as usual for you.
"At the end of June 2005, the parquet floor authorized the magistrate . . . "
French is a strange language, and these machine translations always catch the right nuance. :-)
The parquet floor? God I love Babblefish!
Good to see this is actually coming to a head.
That was the very FIRST thought that crossed my mind! I despise that man.
Jean-Bernard Mérimée à l'ONU en 1992 - L'ancien ambassadeur français à l'Onu Jean-Bernard Mérimée, a été placé en garde à vue lundi dans le cadre de l'enquête du juge Philippe Courroye sur des malversations présumées liées au programme "pétrole contre nourriture" en Irak, a-t-on appris mardi de sources proches du dossier. - Lire l'article associé
This guy is a big fish.....hmmm.
Good morning, Miss Marple!
I know that the French laws protect the French President from criminal prosecution while in office.
I don't know whether the laws include members of the Cabinet.
But I do agree that he is a thug and a fop.
I liked this snippet: "Mr. Mérimée, who should be submitted in front of the magistrate Wednesday..."
| U.N. Mystery Man: Who Is Jean-Bernard Merimee and What's His Oil-for-Food Tie? |
|
Thursday, July 28, 2005
By Claudia Rosett
|
NEW YORK — As investigations proliferate into the United Nations Oil-for-Food scandal, one of the more intriguing mysteries involves a former French diplomat with a direct link to the U.N.’s executive suite: Jean-Bernard Merimee ().
The 68-year-old Merimee, one of several individuals now under investigation in France for alleged involvement in Saddam Hussein’s Oil-for-Food scams, is well known for his role in the early 1990s as French ambassador to the United Nations. What investigators have not so far highlighted is that during the period Merimee is alleged to have come into commercial contact with Saddam’s regime, starting in December 2001, he was working not for the French government, but as a special adviser to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan ().
[continue]
ya,,,I think we will wait for MSM coverage until the freezing of the infernal reaches.
A ex-representative of France with UNO placed in police custody
PARIS (Reuters) - Jean-Bernard Mérimée, permanent representative of France to the Security Council of UNO between 1991 and 1995, were placed in police custody Monday in the investigation into the program onusien "oil against food" to Iraq , learns one from legal source in Paris.
Its name is reproduced on a list of French personalities which would have profited from generosities of the mode of Saddam Hussein in the form of oil "coupons".
After his interrogation by the Brigade of repression of the economic delinquency (BRDE), Jean-Bernard Mérimée could be introduced at the examining magistrate Philippe Courroye Wednesday for his setting in examination, one specified of the same source.
The list where its name appears, attached to an internal report of UNO on the scandal, precise that it would have perceived the equivalent of two million oil barrels, resold then at two companies approved to treat with Iraq.
The program "oil counters food", supposed to organize part of the sale of the oil of Iraq to limit the deprivations of the civil population then subjected to an embargo, in fact would have allowed the mode of Saddam Hussein of corrompre of many personalities throughout the world.
More than ten billion dollars would have been diverted, according to the report/ratio of UNO. The "coupons" were resold via intermediaries at oil companies which could in fine exploit Iraqi oil in spite of the embargo.
Four French personalities were already put in examination by Courroye judge for these facts.
It is about Bernard Guillet, arm right of the ex-minister of the Interior Charles Pasqua, Serge Boidevaix, general ex-secretary of the Quay of Orsay, the businessman Claude Kaspereit, and Gilles Munier, secretary-general of the Association of the friendships free-Iraqi. A journalist Palestinian, Hamida Chick, are also continued.
The list, versed with the file of Courroye judge, mentions in addition the ex-minister of the Interior Charles Pasqua, Michel Grimard, ex-member of the national council of the RPR, and Patrick Maugein, businessman close to Jacques Chirac .
Several frameworks of Total are also put in examination in this file for the frauds supposed at the embargo.
Jean-Bernard Mérimée, 68 years, was also an ambassador in Rome of 1995 to 1998.
Can't say as his name is a household word aroung here, but yes, as a former U.N. ambassador he would be a pretty good size tuna. I hope he gets used as bait to catch even bigger fish . . .
I am happy to see that the OFF scandal hasn't completely passed into the black hole.
Yes! I hope he gets more that submitted. Maybe he should be sent to Iraq and tried along with Saddam as a co-conspirator.
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