more chirac papers released in affair JPK

earlier coverage: exposing bank accounts in japan, belonging to former french president, jacques chirac, and former french polynesian president, gaston flosse.
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NEWS RELEASE

A national security commission in Paris approved declassification of 11 documents last Friday, opening new links between an alleged assassination of a former Pape’ete editor with ex-president Jacques Chirac.

It is the second dossier of top secret papers to emerge from two judicial inquiries exploring growing links.

Of 26, two further papers were recommended for partially declassification by La Commission consultative du secret de la défense nationale (CCSDN), a powerful advisory commission overseeing judicial inquiries and other requests for release of national defense secrets.

Commission members recommended 13 documents not be approved for declassification.

All 132 recommendations from the national security commission have so far been accepted by ministers of the day.

First story on the new documents appeared at a quarter to six last Friday evening, according to a timestamp on a story at Le Nouvel Observateur, a weekly newsmagazine.

The report was picked up by Tahitipresse, publishing online 4:19 hours later, adding direct reference to the five-year-old Clearstream scandal.

No details were reported on who submitted the 26 documents for declassification.

Two judicial inquiries are active.

Links to Jean-Pascal Couraud, a former editor in Pape’ete, emerged when leaked documents exposed a Chirac bank account in Tokyo with 300 million Francs, about US$70 million.

Various witnesses have told the media of Couraud investigating the account before he disappeared 11 years ago on a Monday night, 15th December 1997.

The Tokyo bank is owned by a relation of Gaston Flosse, a former president of French Polynesia.

CCSDN recommends solely on declassification of documents concerning national security.

In this latest decision, the 13 still-secret documents join one earlier paper, held back from a first dossier of 17 recommended for declassification.

This brings a total of 42 documents considered for declassification this month, with 27 recommended for declassification, 14 staying top secret and two partially declassified.

The CCSDN never releases documents itself.

First, a minister must release their decision, and then the documents go, in this case, to judicial inquiry, and documents do not necessarily get published with findings, months or years later.

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