Le Monde rushes to press two days after the fact with this shocker.

AFFAIRE "PÉTROLE CONTRE NOURRITURE" :
CHARLES PASQUA EST MIS EN EXAMEN
["Oil For Food" Affair: Charles Pasqua Is Indicted]

April 7, 2006 (Le Monde) - Former Minister of the Interior (1986-1988 and 1993-1995) Charles Pasqua, 78 years, suspected of having received oil allocations [bons de barils de pétrole] on the frnge of the U.N. "Oil for food" program in Iraq, was indicted [mis en examen], Wednesday April 5, by judge Philippe Courroye. He is prosecuted for "corruption with foreign public agents" and "serious influence peddling".

Even after antiquing, this news had to be gently reported to a French public reeling from shock after shock after shock after shock. As such, responsible journalism demanded Le Monde tuck its story away on page 14 of its print edition.

Of course French involvement -- self-dealing, enrichment, duplicity, and perfidy -- in the Paix Contre Pétrole business is not news to Pave regulars. And M. Pasqua is no stranger to us. He is something of a Pave fixture.

The Le Monde article goes on to say that police investigators [la brigade de répression de la délinquance économique, "BRDE"] cited evidence that M. Pasqua was the beneficiary of approximately 10.7 million barrels of oil in the provisions of three contracts signed in 1999. It also reports the inculpatory testimony of Bernard Guillet deposed by Judge Courroye. M. Guillet, a former consultant to M. Pasqua, implicates M. Pasqua as both a target of the Saddam regime and a recepient of oil allocations.

Le Monde is careful not to present the evidence strongly. The indictment is the only new news here. Better evidential arguments can be found at the various links below.

M. Pasqua smoothly rejects the indictment's charges, the abundant evidence, and the bother of justice. His rehearsals can be found here and here and here and here.

"I have never received any oil goods. I am a complete stranger to all of that." ["Je n'ai jamais reçu de bons de pétrole. Je suis totalement étranger à tout cela".]

As the Sénateur des Hauts-de-Seine, M. Pasqua enjoys parliamentary immunity and cannot be held to account. He is still listed as an MEP in the European Parliament and Chairman of the Union of Europe of the Nations (UEN). And for good measure he is also an officer in the Légion d'honneur.

Should the evidence prove too damning, M. Pasqua can mount an unassailable French résumé defense.

[Hat tip: ¡No Pasarán!]

PFFT (What is this?): Shock and yawn 4 | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour,

Et l'affaire Plame ???

Bonjour,

Oh, M. ABAY I am so happy to read your post! I was afraid that walking along at the Sorbonne that you may have been hit in the head during the riots and had some sense knocked into you!

But, seeing your post we can all safely assume that no baton struck your noggin! :)

Seriously, all of the events taking place in France right now and you fire back with Valerie Plame ?

I sure would like to hear what you think about this whole affair instead. I would like to know your opinions on the CPE. You have not defended it or criticized it. Where do you stand? I think I might know, but please tell us!

Part II

Well, Chavista I see that your boy Chavez was busy again throwing out those capitalist pig, minority exploiting, colonizing gas grabbing imperialists out of his oil fields last week….But wait! This time it was Hasta la vista, baby to Frances’s Total SA.

Still a fan now, Chavista?

Bonjour,

Parce que pour vous une manipulation grossière comme l' affaire Plame qui a eue pour résultat le meurtre de 100 000 ,200 000 ,300 000 (???) irakiens et accessoirement de 3000 compatriotes US est sans importance face à quelques monômes d' étudiants ??
Les Yanks ont vraiment perdu tout sens moral !
Et en fait de manifestations vous avez connu de nouvelles manifestations monstres latinos:on parle de 1 000 000 de personnes de nouveau dans les rues.
C'est bien la fin de la domination WASP sur les USA !!
On parle aussi de 11 000 000 millions de clandestins latinos !
Les WASP ne veulent pas du Socialisme oui mais les latinos si !! Et ils deviennent de plus en plus nombreux.On a même entendu les bons vieux slogans du Socialisme dans les rues des impérialistes US:
Unido el pueblo jamas sera vincido !!
En fait la fin des USA capitalistes et WASP est programmée. Et ce avec l'aide du patronat US
…
We are we ? Socialists and latinos now !!!

And good luck for your country in Irak !!!

Forget Pasqua who's not even close to Chirac and hopefully will get what he deserves, this is much more interesting (it's a small world). As well as this of course.