The corruption machine

In a very interesting and well documented book (L’Argent Noir (Black Money) – Editions Fayard – 1990), journalist Pierre Péan, explained, in full detail, the mechanisms of corruption in third world countries – whether this corruption concerns arms or other markets – and perfectly demonstrated the involvement of the French State. Pierre Péan relates:
“On the 15th of December 1983, a few yards from the Elysées (the French White House), in a private room of the Cercle Interallié (a private club), the Minister of Defense, Charles Hernu, warmly reads a speech before the military-industrial VIPs. A “samplng” of the small crowd would show senior executives of Dassault, Thomson, SNIAS, Matra, Generals, general controllers, general inspectors still on active service in the General Arms Directorate or having landed a soft job in the private sector with one of the biggest arms makers. Banks representatives, a private secretay of the President, a few ambassadors, Prefects, very rich Lebanese, Armenian, Syrians, Saudi-Arabians, and, of course, the Vice-President of the French Senate, Etienne Dailly (on this point read: D... comme Dailly, Claude Roire, Éd. Alain Moreau, Paris, 1988.). We will detail the activities of Senator Dailly later and in further articles, but it is useful to know Dailly is considered to be the main lobbyist for arms manufacturers in France.

The speech of Charles Hernu, is to celebrate the investiture of the Legion of Honor for Akram Ojjeh, the permanent representative in Europe of Prince Sultan, the Saudi-Arabian minister of defense. Charles Hernu acknowledged the “genius for commercial relationship” of this business man who helped the major French arms companies to sign a few big contracts for the amazing amount of 100 billion francs! However, the real “genius” of Ojjeh is the distribution of bribes and backhanders in the Persian Gulf but also in France. And everybody enjoying this party in a well respected Parisian street know about it. The “genius” is also praised since at the end of 1983, French Companies and Saudi-Arabia just signed a huge contract (for the Shahine missiles made in France) which would be made known a month later.