See also: Falcone (homonymy)

Pierre Falcone , born on March 19th 1954 with Algiers, is trader in oil contracts, armament and influences political. Pierre Falcone is in the center of a traffic of weapons towards Angola in 1993-1994 under cover of the company Sofremi , a company depending on the Ministère of the Interior French, then directed by Charles Pasqua, and of various groups of armament whose main thing was Thomson. Pierre Falcone was under the blow of a Mandat of international stop of January 2004 at October 3rd 2007 for his implication in the Affaire of the sales of weapons in Angola (Affaire Falcone or Angolagate).

Course

Pierre Falcone is the son of another Pierre Falcone, founder in Algérie of the famous canning facilities “Falcone Dad”.

Business of the sales of weapons in Angola

  • Pierre Falcone is shown to be one of the main actors in the Affaire of the sales of weapons in Angola.

  • In 1993, the resolutions of UNO then imposed a total embargo with respect to the bands of Jonas Savimbi (which had refused to recognize the victory with the elections of its rival in 1992); France is divided between ELF (playing the chart Dos Santos) and the DGSE of Alexandre de Marenches just like the Republican party (then liberal Démocratie) (Léotard, Madelin). A opportunity arises then for France, Pierre Falcone working in relation to the Soviet business man Arcadi Gaydamak, obtains as from 1996 a reduction of the debt of Angola with respect to Russia of 5 billion dollars payable in the year with 1,5 billion spread out over 20 years! To what an assembly of oil prefinancings is added who will allow president José Eduardo dos Santos|Dos Santos]] fights about it against the forces of UNITA of Jonas Savimbi, to buy weapons in Russia. In thanks for its exceptional services, Falcone will be seen offering Angolan nationality and a chart of “official agent”. To later withdraw it from its house arrest, Dos Santos will name it on June 10th, 2003 Ambassador plenipotentiary, representing Republic of Angola at UNESCO (see also Challenges , April 2002).

  • Officially, Pierre Falcone was put in examination and imprison one year (11 months) for “trading of favors, trades illicit of weapons without authorization, tax evasion and abuse of corporate asset and breach of trust”. In fact there remained only eleven months in prison (the maximum when there is no necessary load); Moreover according to the documents delivered by the secretariat of National defense, the offense was even made up, the weapons not having never forwarded by France!

  • does anything of It is not clear in this history: according to the Duck connected , it was a question of a Franco-French purely political assembly to make fall Pasqua, the judge being persuaded that detention would make “crack” P. Falcone and denounce Pasqua… A priori it does not have of it anything be… ( Duck connected , February 2007).

  • It as should be known as Courroye judge went until emitting a forgery in public writing, implying Mrs. Beauguion, substitute, which lied in front of Justice: in June 2003, at the Court of Appeal of Rheims, turning the back on the written requisitions of the Parquet floor, which required not to inform the complaints for forgeries deposited by lawyers of Pasqua, Falcone, Mitterrand and Guilloux, the Prosecuting attorney pled the opposite, endorsing the thesis of the plaintiffs (cf Nouvel Observateur , June 2003).

  • Économiquement speaking it will be a disaster for France, Dos Santos having announced on several occasions with the French authorities that Total would have evil to compete with equal footings with American as long as Falcone would not be bleached (Airbus having already lost a market of 15 apparatuses to the profit of B777 in 2001).

An international career

The adventure begins in the United States where the Falcone family has a luxurious ranch with Scottsdale in Arizona. George W. Bush would have attended it at the time where he was governor of the Texas and Falcone contracted there durable bonds with the oil Lobby American.

It is in 1985 that Pierre Falcone and his Sonia wife launch out in the trade of armament, creating a first company in Paris, Brenco, a limited liability company with the start-up capital of 50.000 francs, become in 1987 the subsidiary company of a new business based with the island of Man, Brenco Trading International Limited. Their primary market is the Latin America, in Colombia initially, then Pierre Falcone is connected by a close relation of Charles Pasqua, Yann Guez, with the Sofremi and becomes about it representing it for the area, signing from the contracts in Argentine, Ecuador and with the Mexico. Become resident to life with the Brazil, Falcone go, grace also to Ecuadorian and Colombian capital, to extend their marketing activities, opening representations with London and Montreal, and being established in Asia, then in Africa.

About 1988, their company negotiates a gas delivery of combat to the Iraq which would have used it in the area of the Kurdistan. In Asia, it is represented in China by Thierry Imbot, wire of the former owner of DGSE, and provides military equipment of Europe of the East to the Vietnam and in Burma.

The return of Charles Pasqua to the ministry for the Interior, in March 1993, particularly inaugurates one time ostentation for Pierre Falcone. Pasqua then names on the councils of Etienne Leandri two sure personalities with the head of discrete the Sofremi, the old ones of Thomson, Bernard Poussier and Bernard Dubois. Flanked of the racketeer Soviet free-canado-israélo-Angolan of origin Arcadi Gaydamak, also introduced to him by Leandri, Pierre Falcone becomes then, under cover of this company, the project superintendent of a vast traffic of weapons in direction of Angola after a negotiation carried out with Jean-Charles Marchiani of an agreement of safety and police force with this country.

These traffics of weapons are related to the exploitation of the rich person oil layers of the country and Pierre Falcone created in the United States a company Falcon Oil & Gas which will have up to 10 to 15% of the shares of several oil sites of the country beside Elf-Total-Fina and of Anglo-Saxon multinationals. In 2000, it is an oil transaction which led the tax department to be interested in the accounts of Gaydamak and justice to seize business and to accuse Pierre Falcone.

Legal troubles

It is a fiscal control of the accounts of his/her friend Gaydamak who pushes French justice to be interested in the businesses of Falcone. Suspected of having enfreint the embargo on the weapons for Angola, that to have diverted the activities of Sofremi, and to have remunerated its own services as much than those of his/her political friends, Pierre Falcone is imprisoned in 2001 and is released in December 2001.

Placé under judicial control, it had been returned in prison in 2002 by the judge Philippe Courroye because it had not respected prohibition to begin again with forty the others Inculpé S. “ I am innocent crucifié! ”, it had protested.

In escape of 2003 to 2007, it profited from an Angolan diplomatic passport as ambassador at UNESCO. Its various international warrants for arrest were cancelled little before its appearance in the lawsuit of the Sofremi (French company of export of materials, systems and services).

References

  • Raised of two international mandates aiming Pierre Falcone , Le Monde, October 3rd, 2007

Business of Sofremi

Pierre Falcone would have touched 27 franc million (4,1 million euros) of undue commissions between 1993 and 1995, within the framework of sale of materials of safety by Sofremi in Colombia, in Kuwait, in Argentina, in Saudi Arabia and in Brazil.

The lawsuit proceeded in October 2007 in front of the 12th room of the magistrates' court of Paris. Also appear Pierre-Philippe Pasqua, Jean-Charles Marchiani, Bernard Guillet.

References

  • Business of Sofremi: Falcone " the diplomate" in front of its judges , Le Figaro, on October 9th, 2007
  • Sofremi Business: imprisonment necessary for Pierre-Philippe Pasqua and Pierre Falcone , Le Monde, October 22nd, 2007
  • the business of Sofremi joins together in front of the judges the entourage of Charles Pasqua , Le Monde, October 9th, 2007 €

Diplomatic immunity: A merchant of weapons with UNESCO

Pierre Falcone was appointed on June 10th, 2003 by the Angolan government ambassador of this country to UNESCO. “ the nomination was made in accordance with the international law and with the respect of the agreement between France and UNESCO ”, on this occasion the Angolan government in an official statement declared to justify a decision which conferred the diplomatic immunity on Pierre Falcone, which enabled him to leave France where it was always subjected to a judicial control in September 2003 without being worried, once obtained its passport of Angolan “minister” and a chart of the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, mark of the French approval.

The Angolan opposition protested against this decision, describing it as “ treason to the Angolan fatherland ”. The government of Luanda has on its marked side that this nomination did not have as an aim of protection Pierre Falcone of the continuations whose it was then the object in France, but “ to recognize its contribution in favor of Angola ” which needed weapons during its war against the rebellion of Unita. The designation of Falcone hardly caused of disorder in diplomatic circles concerned, only the actress Catherine Deneuve resigning of her station of ambassadress for the safeguarding of the cinematographic inheritance.

January 14th, 2004, the judge Philippe Courroye in load of the file launched a mandate of international stop against Pierre Falcone estimating that its diplomatic immunity did not cover that the instruments accomplished within the framework of its mission to UNESCO, organization in front of which it was never presented. He made on the other hand several appearances in Europe, giving an interview to the Portuguese weekly magazine Expresso in April 2003 since the Ritz hotel of Madrid.

Challenged in May 2004 with the airport of Lisbon, coming from Luanda, by the police force of the borders, Pierre Falcone was slackened by the Portuguese police force, which because a short political scandal with the Portugal, old colonial metropolis of Angola. It could go to London where it was not worried either.

November 2nd, 2005, the 11th room of the magistrates' court of Paris joined the shutter of the diplomatic immunity to the bottom of the tax business. The lawyers of Mr. Falcone, My Emmanuel Marsigny and Pierre-François Veil made call of this decision.

Political friendships

  • His wife, Sonia Falcone, of Bolivian origin appears among the givers of campaign of George W. Bush.

  • According to a report/ratio given by three financial experts to the judge Philippe Courroye in May 2004, Falcone would have poured 14,3 franc million on a Swiss account of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, to remunerate missions of consultant whose nature could not be specified.

  • Paul-Loup Sulitzer having him engaged by Falcone “to learn how to him to manage its communication with the press and business world”. The novelist admitted to have carried out of 1995 to 1999 several deposits in liquid (for 7 franc million on the whole) and “of many transfers of species by the means of frontier runners”. Itself would have received from Falcone 2,7 franc million “at least”.

Tax evasion

  • the tax authorities reproaches Pierre Falcone for not having declared the sum of 7,8 million euros of incomes perceived during the years 1996,1999 and 2000.

  • November 2nd, 2005: The 11th room of the magistrates' court of Paris decided to join the shutter of the diplomatic immunity to the bottom of the tax business.

  • April 26th, 2006: The shutter “tax evasion” of Pierre Falcone was returned to October 5th, 2006, for an audience of fixing.

References

  • Stephen Smith and Antoine Glaser, “men of the “Angolagate””, Le Monde , January 12th, 2001

  • Gilles Gaetner, the Trap: Financial Networks of Pierre Falcone , Plon (February 22nd, 2002)

  • Fabrice Lhomme, Angolagate , Denoël (July 3rd, 2002)

See too

  • Business of the traffic of weapons towards Angola

External bonds

  • Selection of press articles
  • the defense of Pierre Falcone in the '' Expresso ''

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