Rwanda news Agency
Kigali - Testifying before the Mucyo Commission, a former major client with Caisse Centrale de Réassurance (CCR) company Mr. Martin Marschner Von Helmreich has revealed that 1 billion Francs (150m Euros) was “diverted” in 1994 “most probably” to finance the Genocide machine in Rwanda , RNA has established.
According to Marschner, CCR announced a loss of 1 billion Francs on August 29, 1994 that came as a “shock” to him because “78% of total deposits” managed by the French government insurance parastatal was for clients he represented as a financial broker. The money had apparently disappeared between the periods January to August 1994.
The German national who has lived and worked in France for decades explained that he himself was “surprised” when the money was refunded “directly” to CCR accounts from the French government treasury on September 14 1994.
Mr. Marschner told the commission that he picked interest to know where the 1 billion had disappeared just because he needed to regain his “professional” credibility before his clients on whose behalf he controlled their money.
After what he called a “profound investigation”, he found out that “everyday” in January 1994 alone, several million francs had been diverted “mysteriously”.
Reading from one of the booklets he had brought along, Mr. Marschner said on January 11 1994 “5 million Francs” was diverted from the company to a supposed “classified operation in Central Africa ”. He promised to give the commission 800-page dossier from his investigation.
He affirmed later during question time that a “friend” of his who was in charge of “special operations” confided in him (Marschner) that at the time (when the money disappeared), French “special forces” were actively involved in Rwanda .
The Kagame led Rwanda Patriotic Army rebels had actually launched war against President Habyarimana in October 1990.
Various witnesses have given corroborated evidence to the Mucyo Commission indicating that French soldiers were fighting along the Habyarimana government forces since 1992.
The corporately dressed Mr. Marschner said his “investigation” also led him to discover that the UN and Survie (French anti-genocide campaign group) had information pointing to arms trafficking through Goma (D R Congo) - into Rwanda .
According to him, the trail of the flawed accounts was traced to an account in Rochefort Finance (an affiliate of CCR) on which the “diverted” missing money had been deposited. He said he discovered “40m Francs” had actually been used to purchase arms for the Rwanda campaign. This was after
Put to task to clarify the relationship between the “Rochefort account” and arms trafficked into Rwanda , he explained that the UN had also landed on the “same account” from its investigations on arms trafficking allegations.
Asked to explain the link between French involvement in Rwanda and Comoros Islands , Mr. Marschner said arms were “trafficked” by a South African national, but that the entire French campaigns in central Africa were planned in the Comoros .
He revealed that the “diverted” money from CCR was “transferred through an account in BNP Paribas” - the French central bank. The money was then apparently spread to cover the “numerous undercover” campaigns in Rwanda and Bosnia .
According to Mr. Marschner, current French President Nicholas Sarkozy was Minister for Budget represented on the permanently CCR board by another official who was part of the decisional mechanism of the company. From 1993 to 1995, Mr. Sarkozy was Minister for the Budget in Edouard Balladur premiership.
However, falling short of pointing directly at Mr. Sarkozy to have had possible involvement with the decisions to transfer such sums of money from the treasury that he controlled, Mr. Marschner said he could not be sure.
“(Mr.) Sarkozy was the Minister for the Budget ... he may say he was not aware (of the dubious transfers)”, he told the attentively listening 7-member commission. In this position as Budget Minister, Mr. Sarkozy should have been a signatory to the refund of the 1 billion Francs into the coffers of CCR.
Put to task by commission president - Jean de Dieu Mucyo to assert whether he qualifies French involvement in the Genocide in Rwanda as “direct” or indirect”, Mr. Marschner just answered confidently and assertively “direct”.
“Based on evidence I have from transactions that CCR had and where the diverted money could have been channeled, I believe there is no doubt on their (French authorities) involvement”, he explained as he pointed to booklets besides him.
“The problem however comes to how the link between the French establishment (political or otherwise) can be linked to the transactions of CCR but the company was owned by the state”.
Bernard Kouchner twist
New French President Nicolas Sarkozy named his first 15-member Cabinet last week, radically revamping the government, with nearly as many women as men and including a humanitarian crusader.
Observers say the appointment of career diplomat and self acclaimed humanitarianist Dr. Bernard Kouchner to the foreign affairs portfolio could be a move to “calm down the ever rising temperature” over France ’s past in Rwanda .
As the war raged, Mr. Kouchner was allowed safe passage through the RPF rebel strong hold to the east of Rwanda in early 1994 as he negotiated the launch of the controversial “humanitarian cordon” - commonly known as ‘Zone Turquoise’.
Recently he was also in the country seeking to have Rwanda approve his nomination to head the World Health Organisation (WHO). He however lost to a Chinese.
With the above and several numerous encounters previously that Mr. Kouchner had with Kigali establishment, observers say he could be probable link between France and Rwanda . There have been several European led moves to bring France and Rwanda to talk but to very little movement from either party.
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