(Map from MIT Cascon)French Elite In The Dock As £450m Angola Arms Trial
Begins In Paris -- Times Online
Begins In Paris -- Times Online
Some of the leading names in France's political and business elite went on trial yesterday over an arms-dealing scandal that could shine light on the murkiest dealings of the French state.
The son of the late President Mitterrand joined 41 prominent figures in court for the start of the “Angolagate” trial, concerning the alleged illicit sale of £450 million of Russian weapons and equipment to Angola in the 1990s. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, 61, Jacques Attali, the intellectual and banker who advised the late President, and Paul-Loup Sulitzer, a popular thriller writer, are among the well-known accused who have generated huge interest in the proceedings.
But the main defendants are Arkadi Gaydamak, a Russian-Israeli billionaire, and Pierre Falcone, a French businessman, who have in turn implied that the French Government knew of and allowed a secret arms channel to Angola after a UN embargo blocked official French sales.
Under deals allegedly arranged by Mr Falcone, Mr Gaydamak is claimed to have procured and shipped 420 tanks, 150,000 shells, 170,000 landmines, 12 helicopters and 6 naval vessels to help President Dos Santos of Angola to win a long-running civil war. Mr Gaydamak - one of the models for Lord of War, a film starring Nicolas Cage about an arms merchant - has stayed in Israel and is being tried in his absence. Gilles-William Goldnadel, his lawyer, said that his client did not deny the sales and woul
The son of the late President Mitterrand joined 41 prominent figures in court for the start of the “Angolagate” trial, concerning the alleged illicit sale of £450 million of Russian weapons and equipment to Angola in the 1990s. Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, 61, Jacques Attali, the intellectual and banker who advised the late President, and Paul-Loup Sulitzer, a popular thriller writer, are among the well-known accused who have generated huge interest in the proceedings.
But the main defendants are Arkadi Gaydamak, a Russian-Israeli billionaire, and Pierre Falcone, a French businessman, who have in turn implied that the French Government knew of and allowed a secret arms channel to Angola after a UN embargo blocked official French sales.
Under deals allegedly arranged by Mr Falcone, Mr Gaydamak is claimed to have procured and shipped 420 tanks, 150,000 shells, 170,000 landmines, 12 helicopters and 6 naval vessels to help President Dos Santos of Angola to win a long-running civil war. Mr Gaydamak - one of the models for Lord of War, a film starring Nicolas Cage about an arms merchant - has stayed in Israel and is being tried in his absence. Gilles-William Goldnadel, his lawyer, said that his client did not deny the sales and woul
But the main defendants are Arkadi Gaydamak, a Russian-Israeli billionaire, and Pierre Falcone, a French businessman, who have in turn implied that the French Government knew of and allowed a secret arms channel to Angola after a UN embargo blocked official French sales.
Under deals allegedly arranged by Mr Falcone, Mr Gaydamak is claimed to have procured and shipped 420 tanks, 150,000 shells, 170,000 landmines, 12 helicopters and 6 naval vessels to help President Dos Santos of Angola to win a long-running civil war. Mr Gaydamak - one of the models for Lord of War, a film starring Nicolas Cage about an arms merchant - has stayed in Israel and is being tried in his absence. Gilles-William Goldnadel, his lawyer, said that his client did not deny the sales and would attend the trial next month if France promised that he would not be imprisoned.
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My Comment: Watching the French reveal their dirty laundry. Why watch a good movie or read a good book when real life is more exciting.
Under deals allegedly arranged by Mr Falcone, Mr Gaydamak is claimed to have procured and shipped 420 tanks, 150,000 shells, 170,000 landmines, 12 helicopters and 6 naval vessels to help President Dos Santos of Angola to win a long-running civil war. Mr Gaydamak - one of the models for Lord of War, a film starring Nicolas Cage about an arms merchant - has stayed in Israel and is being tried in his absence. Gilles-William Goldnadel, his lawyer, said that his client did not deny the sales and would attend the trial next month if France promised that he would not be imprisoned.
Read more ....
My Comment: Watching the French reveal their dirty laundry. Why watch a good movie or read a good book when real life is more exciting.