jpk update

a photocopy sign for a meeting of the support committee for missing journalist, jean-pascal couraud. NEWS Police in French Polynesia have seized documents from the offices and home of the former lawyer for long missing journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud. The search was ordered by prosecutor Jean Bianconi after Jean-Dominique Des Arcis was questioned by investigating magistrate Jean-François Redonnet. Radio New Zealand International reports Des Arcis was questioned two days after the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Couraud for making conflicting statements. RADIO EXPOSE The search was the first fallout from a controversial expose carried by France Inter, the second most popular radio station in France, according to a report from Rue 89, a French language news website. Among others, France Inter interviewed Des Arcis who, for the first time, declared that he did not think the disappeareance of "JPK" was suicide - contradicting earlier statements. The family had previous...

lucien maillard, a former colleague to JPK, pays tribute, saying he never imagined their work could lead to his death. TRIBUTE After grief, after anger and outrage, in time comes meditation. The time for prayer. A prayer of communion with the parents of Jean-Pascal, his children, his brothers, his sister, his friends, present or missing. I am thinking particularly of the late Patrick Brai, a valiant companion of a beautiful collective adventure - what must be called journalism at its most noble - including Jean-Pascal who was both its soul and radiant symbol. Some, to achieve their ideals of loyalty, travel to the Orient or take the pilgrimage to Compostela . We need to move closer to Jean-Pascal - because it is with him, I know! - to keep us with him, to listen, to remain faithful to our ethical commitments, not to betray the word of honour that he has bequeathed to us. We have had the privilege of meeting an exceptional person. Absolute in his quest for truth and honesty, in his ti...

PRESS RELEASE > reporters sans frontieres 15 December 2007 The tenth anniversary of the disappearance of Jean-Pascal Couraud: Reporters Without Borders calls on the authorities not to betray the hopes of his family A few days before the tenth anniversary of the disappearance of the former editor of the Les Nouvelles in Tahiti, Jean-Pascal Couraud ( "JPK"), on December 15, 2007, Reporters Without Borders calls on the French authorities including the Justice minister, known as the the Keeper of Judicial Seals, Rachida Dati, to renew their commitment to establishing the truth about the exact circumstances of the death of the journalist. "Recent events allow us to believe that the investigation into the death of Jean-Pascal Couraud could move forward on a sound basis. Ten years after the fact, it is urgent, both from a moral and legal viewpoint, that the ins and outs of this case be brought out into the open. We call on French justice not to provide arguments to those who...

Philippe Couraud, above , heads a support committee for missing journalist Jean-Pascal Couraud - today hoping for a decision on their appeal against the closing off of evidence in an official investigation into allegations of assassination. An English translation of an update sent to members of the JPK support committee, features below. .................................................................................................... Papeete, October 19, 2007 To all the friends, members and supporters of the Support Committee: Evidence already collected shows that the investigation should be pursued As indicated in our last release in September 2007, we have seen in recent weeks that investigatory judge, Philippe Stelmach, proposes to close off evidence for the State case. As we expected, a reading of the investigation file shows quite the opposite is very necessary: to continue the investigation. Principal elements underpinning such a finding are as follows: 1 - Many contradictions...

COMMITTEE UPDATE Soutien JPK released the following update earlier today, carried below in French. Papeete, le 19 octobre 2007 A tous les amis, membres et sympathisants du Comité de soutien, Les éléments déjà recueillis montrent que l’enquête doit être poursuivie Comme indiqué dans notre dernier communiqué du mois de septembre 2007, nous avons pris connaissance ces dernières semaines du dossier d’enquête que le juge d’instruction Philippe Stelmach se propose de clore en l’état. Comme nous nous y attendions, la lecture du dossier d’instruction montre bien au contraire la réelle nécessité de poursuivre l’enquête. Les principaux éléments sur lesquels se fonde un tel constat sont les suivants : 1- Les nombreuses contradictions et mensonges avérés de certains proches de Jean-Pascal Couraud sur le déroulement précis de la dernière soirée passée à son domicile : leur mise en évidence lors des gardes à vue réalisées en début d’année 2007 nécessite de nouvelles invest...

30 SECONDS EDITORIAL Long time French Polynesian hard ass Gaston Flosse has turned, as Americans might say, candy ass. After 30 years of warning against the 'miseries' of independence, the former president has withdrawn support from his successor, suggested a unity government with arch foe Oscar Temaru, and given a nod for discussions on a referendum in 2028. On independence. In doing so, Flosse has thrown down a gauntlet - I am far from finished yet. Political moves over the last month or so have shown bold initiative missing from all sides in this part of the Polynesian triangle.

FOLLOW UP Who killed JPK? Rue89 reports links between Couraud's disappearance and bank accounts held in Japan by the same politicians he was exposing. Judicial efforts in Tahiti towards investigating allegations of assassination of a former Pape'ete editor continue to stagger on. Latest news out of the French territory indicates that an investigating magistrate has declared there are no more witnesses to be heard regarding the disappearance of Jean-Pascal Couraud, on 15th December 1997. Meantime, a French language news site gives the connections between Couraud and documents he was carrying at the time of his alleged kidnapping by French-trained security agents. A Tahiti, le "compte japonais" invoqué dans une sombre histoire | Rue89 Translation to come shortly : other links clearstream dwarfs enron tahiti link to trillion dollar fraud letter to justice minister grabs French media letter from jpk committee clearstream fallout goes galactic

NEWS Papers held by journalist Jean Pascal Couraud in his 1997 kidnapping and murder may be linked to an emerging scandal involving us$1.5 trillion in fraud. The Clearstream scandal is the world's biggest yet. Clearstream is the world's biggest clearing bank, verifying 70 per cent of foreign payments between banks. The same afternoon he disappeared, Couraud was seen holding a dossier seven centimetres thick. Just a few papers show former presidents Gaston Flosse and Jacques Chirac with US$70 billion in a Japan bank, now being linked to Clearstream fraud.

NEWS French media are widely reporting a letter to the minister of Justice in France from the family of former Pape'ete editor Jean-Pascal Couraud. Sent in late June, the letter raises the JPK affair to a new level in French national affairs. No word yet on any response from the minister, but increasingly pointed commentary draws clear links between Couraud's allegations of suicide are being overtaken by detailed claims from all sorts of sources. What follows is one such story. Close relations of Jean-Pascal Couraud, an investigative journalist who “committed suicide” in mysterious circumstances in 1997, in Tahiti, claimed today that his death is “most probably” related to the “Chirac bank account in Japan .” They have written to Justice minister Rachida Dati. In this letter, they lay stress, on all syllables, on a possible link between the disappearance of the journalist and the investigations which he then carried out, concerning “financial transfers from French Polynesia to ...

OPEN LETTER The following letter was sent from the JPK Support Committee at 17:29, dated 2nd July 2007, concerning an ongoing inquiry into the alleged assassination of former Pape'ete editor Jean Pascal Couraud. Original French has been translated, fairly roughly, into English by avaiki news agency. --------------------------------------------- June 26, 2007 For all our friends and sympathizers of the committee of support, a progress report on the case. Attached: Letter dated June 20, 2007 Minister of Justice Article Liberation of June 25, 2007 According to our sources, gendarmes have finished their investigations relating to the letter of inquiry with which they had been charged, and are about to pass the whole case to the examining magistrate. The lawyer which worked with Jean-Pascal Couraud at the time of his disappearance has just lodged our application. The examining magistrate could then propose instruction from any time now seeking quick closure, so the whole investigation ...

NEWS New President Nicholas Sarkozy is in the crosshairs of a magazine editor deeply concerned about continued activities by a man allegedly involved with the assassination of Jean-Pascal Couraud. In the May edition of Tahiti Pacifique magazine, editor Alex du Prel calls for an independent inquiry into what he describes as "two generations" of territorial rule by "oligarchy." Not named, but identified is former GIP head Leonard "Rere" Puputauki, a man among many said to operate with "impunity" despite breaking dozens of French laws - language mirrored by a UNESCO declaration calling for aid to be tied to media freedoms. SEE Open letter to presidential candidates Medellin Declaration from UNESCO media convention

....................................................................... NEWS Ministers in French Polynesia are being accused of sacking a man whose brother went missing nine years ago. Philippe Couraud was heading a committee of family and friends looking into the alleged assassination of his brother, an investigative journalist, by French-trained agents. Couraud was removed from his position as Town Planning director after a change of government in the territorial assembly. Union officials say a decision to fire Philippe Couraud was taken at a meeting in Tahiti of the Council of Ministers on 14th February, Saint Valentine’s Day, last Wednesday. News of the sacking was posted to the Tahitipresse Agency website four days later, following a statement from the Union of Public Service Executive Officers, SCFP. “At the time of its last Council of Ministers of February 14, 2007, the government removed Philippe Couraud as head of department of Town Planning.” “Revocation of his appointment w...

Links to Radio New Zealand stories on disappearance of French Polynesian journalist Jean Pascal Couraud and issues surrounding what has become known as the JPK affair. 18th November 2004 Complaint over treatment of witness in French Polynesia disappearance case 19th November 2004 French Polynesia journalist disappearance case may re-open 13th December 2004 Judge in French Polynesia to hear evidence in case of journalist who disappeared 15th December 2004 Family of missing French Polynesian journalist wants murder probe 17th December 2004 French Polynesian president wants journalist disappearance case solved 9th February 2005 French TV programme jeopardises legality of French Polynesia election 21st February 2005 Family of disappeared French Polynesia journalist to meet judge after murder complaint lodged 23rd February 2005 Family of missing French Polynesian journalist lays complaint against Presidential GIP service 31st March 2005 French Polynesian leader lodges complaint of espionage...