committee welcomes new rulings on l'affair JPK

Court rulings favour continuation of an investigation into the disappearance of a former Pape'ete journalist nearly ten years ago - with promises from the still new Sarkozy government to look into the details, reports Tahitipresse.

NEWS

from Tahiti Press Agency

JPK Affair: Support Committee welcomes decisions from the Chamber of Instruction

(Tahitipresse) - The Support Committee for the search for the truth about the disappearance of Jean-Pascal Couraud "welcomes, in a statement, two recent decisions by the Chamber of Investigation, in Papeete, in the case of the disappearance of journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud, in December 1997."

The first decision concerns, according to the support committee, "the assent of the Chamber of Instruction to ensure that records are kept of the material seized from General Rondot (i.e., in connection with the Clearstream affair, in metropolitan France) referring to Japanese bank accounts (i.e., assumed to belong to the former President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac). "

The committee also referred to a second decision of the Chamber of Investigation that "relates to the withdrawal of Judge Stelmach, and the appointment of another judge to pursue investigations into this matter." According to the committee, "it has become too obvious that the investigation was not conducted with complete objectivity." They added that they now hoped "to talk fairly quickly with the new judge about the merits of the case".

Minister of Justice and Radio France-Inter

Furthermore, in response to a letter from the mother of Jean-Pascal Couraud sent to Rachida Dati, Minister of Justice, in late June, the Chief of Cabinet, in continued support of the committee, "informs us that careful examination of the case is under way by the Director of Criminal Cases and Pardons."

In addition, the radio program "Intercept", which airs on December 16 this year, in metropolitan France on radio France-Inter, will be devoted to the JPK affair. It should also be broadcast on the evening of December 15 in Tahiti, on RFO-radio, on the day of the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Jean-Pascal Couraud.