Jean-Claude Méry

The Business of the HLM of Paris

Tax denunciation

Left to the summer 1994 a tax denunciation against a contractor familiar of the circles gaullists, Francis Poullain, chairmen of SAR, in the context of confrontation which was a prelude to with the presidential election of 1995, between partisans of Jacques Chirac and Edouard Balladur, the procedure was to lead on September 29th, 1994 to the interpellation and the setting in examination of the promoter Jean-Claude Méry, who is écroué.

Continued for “, complicity trading of favors of abuse of corporate asset and infringement to the legislation on the invoicing”, it is reproached to him for having profited, through its Parisian research departments, of forged invoices paid by companies interested in the government contracts of restoration of park HLM of the Town of Paris, department of the Hauts-de-Seine and regional council of Ile-de-France. Its diaries reveal that this vast system of occult collection (38 franc million until 1993) implies many personalities close to the RPR.

As of the first hours of the investigation of the judge Eric Halphen, Jean-Claude Méry is introduced like the " collector of fonds" movement chiraquien, influential character with the Town hall of Paris, hardly dissimulating the functions which its plate of " was supposed to mask; consultant".

Diaries of Jean-Claude Méry

October 28th, 1994, Rémy Halbwax, police former trade unionist and collaborator of the president of the RPR group of the district council of Ile-de-France, Robert Pandraud, is put in examination and écroué. Its name appeared in the diaries of Jean-Claude Méry.

Its name also appearing in one of the diaries of Jean-Claude Méry, Michel Roussin, Minister for the Co-operation of the Government Balladur, old Principal private secretary of the mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac in 1992, is put in examination on November 14th, 1994 for concealment of abuse of corporate asset, after having resigned. It is suspected of having been used as intermediary in the business of the forged invoices from which RPR would have profited, in exchange of important sums in cash. A withdrawal of case is marked on December 15th, 1995.

Swiss accounts

In 1995 is discovered, in Switzerland, a Société screen called Farco Enterprise, Panamanian Société whose Having right is Jean-Claude Méry, and who has an account in a bank of Geneva. The investigators found there the trace of transfers carried out by the Lyonnaise of water, in 1992, at the time where one of its subsidiary companies obtained a share of the profitable Marché of the elevators of office HLM of Paris.

In Geneva, the manager of the Compte Farco, for its part, had indicated: " The Farco company was created at the end of 1990 the needs of Mr. Jean-Claude Méry. We knew that he was member of the apparatus of RPR. It probably needed this company to make financing politique." These remarks, collected with the favor of a Letter of request in Swiss, were reproduced in Le Monde of May 14th, 1996.

Political financing

According to the dismissal order into correctional of the examining magistrate Armand Riberolles, Jean-Claude Méry “had received mission of ensuring the financing of the political activities of this party by collecting funds, in particular near the fournisseuses companies of Opac”.

Jean-Claude Méry informed the companies on the markets in progress. He obtained office HLM that the official designation of a prize winner is suspended, time that he makes him spit the price of his influence. Jean-Claude Méry n the other hand established forged invoices of his interventions (38,7 franc million). The charge recorded “vacuity” of the headings.

Companies remunerated it directly on an account in Switzerland: Fargo, 10 franc million in five years, of which two thirds were withdrawn in liquid. The “envelopes” redistributed by Méry held the attention of the investigators a long time, his secretary giving even the name of some political personalities of foreground, although nothing could be proven.

December 9th, 1994, two officers of the company CG2A, subsidiary of the General of water, are put in examination for “abuse of corporate asset and complicity of infringement at the legislation on the invoicing”. They are suspected of having, to obtain a market with office HLM of Paris, poured a commission of 13 franc million to Jean-Claude Méry.

The Méry Cassette

May 24th, 1996, old the man-key of secret finances of RPR settled vis-a-vis the camera of Arnaud Hamelin and told his history on what will be the " Méry" cassette;.

Between 2002 and 2004, the investigations of the judge Armand Riberolles have " validé" contents of the video cassette in which the occult financier of RPR in particular affirmed to have given 5 franc million in cash to Jacques Chirac in October 1986. Armand Riberolles did not draw the same conclusions from them as his predecessor.

Being based on the declarations recorded in 1996 per Jean-Claude Méry, Eric Halphen had forwarded to the President of the Republic, in March 2001, a convocation under witness, before estimating that there were " indices" sufficient to consider the setting in examination of Mr. Chirac; in April 2001, he had thus declared himself inefficient with the profit of the High Court of justice. These acts were then cancelled.

The judge Armand Riberolles, on the other hand, seems to have judged that if the Méry cassette constituted a part well likely to " éclairer" the file, it could not in no case to be retained as an dependant element against the people blamed - the first of which figure Mr. Chirac -, who cannot obviously be confronted with a person deceased. Riberolles judge nevertheless collected several testimonys attesting the credibility of the revelations of Jean-Claude Méry.

Often underestimated or occulted for obvious politicking reasons, the repercussions of this business of the " Méry" cassette; have summer at the same time deep and durable. They have without any doubt contributed much to shake the institutional bases of the mode chiraquien, at the point to lead to the political, legal and social serious attack of the years 2005 and 2006.

References

lower parts of a Presidency, Jean-Pierre Thiollet, Anagram editions, 2002, ISBN 2 914571 14 3

Random links: