A new corruption scandal threatens to engulf French politics seven months before presidential elections after claims that Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin, formerly France's president and prime minister, collected $US20 million in handouts from African leaders.
Robert Bourgi, a lawyer who served Mr Chirac as a key emissary between former French colonies and the Elysée palace, talks in an interview with the French newspaper Journal de Dimanche of suitcases stuffed with banknotes to help finance election campaigns.
He identifies five African leaders - Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal), Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso), Laurent Gbagbo (Ivory Coast), Denis Sassou Nguesso (Congo-Brazzaville) and Omar Bongo (Gabon) - as the sources of payments totalling $10m (Dh36.7m) for Mr Chirac's 2002 presidential campaign alone.
Mr de Villepin, best known internationally for leading France's opposition to the invasion of Iraq, was the secretary general of Mr Chirac's Elysée operations. He later served as foreign minister and prime minister and is a 2012 presidential hopeful, intent on opposing his centre-right adversary, President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The allegations, angrily denied by both men, who say they will sue Mr Bourgi for defamation, could hardly have been timed to cause more controversy and damage.
Mr Chirac, 78 and in ailing health, is currently being tried in his absence on corruption charges dating from his long spell as mayor of Paris.
Tomorrow, a Parisian court is to hand down judgment in a separate criminal case in which Mr de Villepin is accused of plotting to implicate Mr Sarkozy in false allegations that kickbacks for overseas defence sales were routed into illegal bank accounts. Judges will rule on a prosecution appeal against the 2010 outcome of the first trial, when Mr de Villepin was acquitted.
Even by the standards of a country accustomed to intermittent stories of questionable political and financial activity, the accusations levelled by Mr Bourgi, born in Senegal to Lebanase parents, are extraordinary.
His mentor was Jacques Foccart, the late president General Charles de Gaulle's chief adviser on African affairs and a man deeply - and, it is now claimed, murkily - embroiled in France's tangled relations with the continent.
After serving Mr Chirac, Mr Bourgi became Mr Sarkozy's African adviser, a fact considered significant by those critical of the content and timing of his allegations.
Mr Bourgi told the Journal de Dimanche he thought of Gen de Gaulle and "felt ashamed" after one mission to deliver money from Mr Bongo, then president of Gabon, who is now deceased.
"With large remittances, I was awaited like Santa Claus," he said. "Normally, a lunch with Jacques Chirac would be organised for the African donor and then the funds would be handed over in the office of the secretary general (Mr de Villepin). Once I was late … I had a big sports bag containing money that was so heavy it hurt my back. Bongo and Chirac were seated comfortably in the secretary general's office. I greeted them, and put the bag behind the sofa. Everyone knew what it contained. That day, I thought of the Le Général, and felt ashamed."
On another occasion, he claimed, Mr Compaoré, the president of Burkina Faso, suggested hiding $3m in four djembés - African drums - because of Mr de Villepin's renowned love of art.
The Journal de Dimanche introduced a long interview with Mr Bourgi with a headline about "25 years of secret practices" under Mr Chirac - in other words, the period during and prior to his terms as president. The claims also feature in a book written by the French investigative journalist Pierre Péan, due out this week.
Mr Chirac, through his lawyers since he now suffers from memory loss and declining physical health, and Mr de Villepin wasted no time in responding to the allegations.
Jean Veil, a senior figure in Mr Chirac's legal team, told Agence France-Presse: "It is somewhat suspect, and in all honesty scandalous, that Mr Bourgi should have waited until he was no longer able to defend himself before relieving his delicate soul of these crushing weights that have been on his conscience for so many years."
Mr de Villepin said when confronted by Journal de Dimanche that he had become adept at anticipating dirty tricks.
Later, he went on national television to denounce the allegations as lies, questioning the timing of Mr Bourgi's account and calling it "serious, outrageous and having all the detail of bad thrillers".
Such underhand transactions he said, reflected "neither the practice nor spirit of Jacques Chirac's presidency".
Lawyers acting for both politicians plan to initiate libel proceedings against Mr Bourgi, who insisted on Europe 1 radio yesterday that he was telling the truth while admitting that he had no proof. "In such areas, there is no proof, no trace," he said.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Results
2.30pm: Park Avenue – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Rb Seqondtonone, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
3.05pm: Al Furjan – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Bosphorus, Dane O’Neill, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm: Mina – Rated Condition (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Royal Mews, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Aliyah – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,900m; Winner: Ursa Minor, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
4.50pm: Riviera Beach – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 2,200m; Winner: Woodditton, Saif Al Balushi, Ahmad bin Harmash
5.25pm: Riviera – Handicap (TB) Dh2,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Al Madhar, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Creek Views – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Al Salt, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy
The five pillars of Islam
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The%20specs
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
INDIA SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj and Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
