report on programme manipulation - Independent Inquiry Committee

INDEPENDENT INQUIRY COMMITTEE INTO THE UNITED NATIONS OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAMME
REPORT ON PROGRAMME MANIPULATION
CHAPTER TWO
OIL TRANSACTIONS AND ILLICIT PAYMENTS
Mr. Mérimée has acknowledged that he was aware at the time that the Iraqi regime was imposing
surcharges on oil sales. He denied that he had any knowledge of or role in surcharge payments
on his oil contract. 83
C. CHARLES PASQUA/BERNARD GUILLET
Charles Pasqua, the former Minister of Interior in France, had allocations designated in his name
for a total of 11 million barrels of oil from the Government of Iraq. According to Iraqi officials
and records, the oil allocations were carried out on Mr. Pasqua’s behalf by his diplomatic advisor
at the time, Bernard Guillet. According to Mr. Guillet, Mr. Aziz conveyed through him an offer
of Iraqi crude oil to Mr. Pasqua to thank the latter for his support for Iraq. Mr. Guillet stated that
he told Mr. Pasqua about Mr. Aziz’s offer. Mr. Pasqua denied that he was informed of the offer.
Most of the oil allocated in Mr. Pasqua’s name was sold to Genmar Resources GMBH
(“Genmar”), a Switzerland-based company. Both Mr. Pasqua and Mr. Guillet have denied
involvement in oil sales under the Programme or receiving any proceeds from them. However,
Mr. Guillet arranged for the sale of the oil allocated in Mr. Pasqua’s name. Mr. Guillet also
received at least $234,000 in cash payments from the proceeds of those oil sales. His accounting
of the distribution of the money is vague. Additionally, Mr. Guillet received allocations in his
own name which were then sold—a claim that Mr. Guillet has denied.
1. Background
In 1986 and again in 1993, Mr. Pasqua served as France’s Minister of the Interior. During this
time, Mr. Pasqua briefly served as the President of Conseil Général des Hauts de Seine. 84 Mr.
Pasqua acknowledged meeting with Mr. Aziz on at least two occasions—in 1993 and 1995. 85 For
83 Jean-Bernard Mérimée interview (Oct. 4, 2005).
84 “White Paper: Charles Pasqua’s Correction to the May 12, 2005 Report of the United States Senate
Investigations Subcommittee,” vol. I, p. 5 (Sept. 15, 2005) (hereinafter “Pasqua’s White Paper, vol. I”).
From 1977 to 1999, intermittently and since 2004, Mr. Pasqua has served as Senator of the Hauts-de-Seine,
and intermittently from 1973 to 2004 served as the President of the Conseil Général des Hauts de Seine,
which is the executive council in charge of the management of this region—one of France’s wealthiest and
most important industrial areas. Pasqua’s White Paper, vol. I, p. 5; Bienvenue au Sénat, “Sénateurs,”
http://www.senat.fr/senfic/pasqua_charles77053g.html. In the late 1980s, Mr. Pasqua was the co-founder
of Association France-Afrique-Orient and served as the Vice President until the mid-1990s. Charles
Pasqua interview (Oct. 3, 2005); Bernard Guillet interviews (Oct. 3 and 5, 2005). In 1999, he was a cofounder
of a new political party in France, Rassemblement pour la France (Rally for France) (hereinafter
“RPF”). Pasqua’s White Paper, vol. I, p. 6.
85 Charles Pasqua interview (Oct. 3, 2005); Bernard Guillet interviews (Oct. 3 and 5, 2005); see also
“France Seeks Way to Repay Iraqi U.N. Progress,” Reuters News, Mar. 17, 1994, p.1 (describing that
during a visit to Paris for health reasons in October 1993, Mr. Aziz’s only formal appointment was a
private meeting with Mr. Pasqua); “France’s Juppe to Meet Tareq Aziz,” Reuters News, Sept. 14, 1994, p. 1
(confirming that in October 1993, Mr. Aziz visited Paris for health reasons and met privately with Mr.
Pasqua); Kenneth R. Timmerman, “Saddam Heads for Final Victory in the Gulf War,” The Sunday Times,
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