Former French president Jacques Chirac came under renewed pressure on Thursday to respond to allegations that he held a secret 45 million euro (US$60 million) account with a Japanese bank, amid reports that documents linking him to the funds had emerged.
Judges quizzed a retired senior intelligence officer for nine hours over documents, described as "explosive," linking Chirac to the account.
Police had swooped on the home of General Philippe Rondot, the former head of the General Directorate of External Security (DGSE) intelligence service, as part of another inquiry but found files labelled "Japanese affair," "PR1 affair" and "PR2 affair." PR is understood to stand for "president of the republic."
The judges were unable to consult the documents until Chirac handed over power to Nicolas Sarkozy on May 16. After opening the files -- two days after he left the Elysee -- they called an immediate emergency meeting and ordered Rondot to appear for questioning.
Inside the files they reportedly found details of an account allegedly opened in Chirac's name at the Tokyo Sowa Bank in the 1990s and copies of statements.
When allegations first emerged a year ago, Chirac categorically denied having a bank account in Japan. His representatives have continued to deny the allegations. However, Chirac is likely to face fresh investigations when his immunity from prosecution as head of state expires on June 17.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
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Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
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