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WikiLeaks news compilation

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WikiLeaks cables: the Dalai Lama is right to put climate change first


For Tibet, climate change is a far more urgent issue than independence – its very survival is at stake



How Arab governments tried to silence WikiLeaks

An appetite for state secrets led to bans on western newspapers and hacked news websites across the Middle East

WikiLeaks may be breaking new ground to promote freedom of information by releasing leaked US diplomatic cables, but Arab governments have been resorting to old tricks to ensure that nothing too damaging reaches their subjects.

Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Morocco have all tried to stem the flow of Wiki-revelations, whether the subject is corruption, authoritarianism or simply the embarrassment of having private exchanges with American interlocutors enter the public domain.



WikiLeaks cables: India revelations spark political row


Parties trade accusations over cables about Hindu extremism and Kashmir torture

A vicious political row has erupted in India after the publication today of leaked American diplomatic cables about Hindu extremism and human rights abuses.

The most explosive revelation has proved to be a cable reporting that Rahul Gandhi – the 40-year-old politician widely predicted to be India's next prime minister – told the US ambassador at a lunch last year that radical Hindu groups in India could pose a bigger threat to the country than Pakistan-based Islamic militants.


 

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WikiLeaks: Sudan's president 'stashed $9 billion'


WikiLeaks: Sudan's president 'stashed $9 billion'

Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, is suspected of siphoning off $9 billion from his country's oil boom and depositing much of it in British banks, according to a leaked US diplomatic cable.

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A leaked cable suggests that Omar al-Bashir may have siphoned off $9 billion from his country's oil boom Photo: AP

By Philip Sherwell, New York 11:30PM GMT 17 Dec 2010

The claims came from Luis Moreno Ocampo, the chief prosecutor with the International Criminal Court who has accused Mr Bashir of genocide and war crimes in Darfur.

He suggested that Lloyds Banking Group, which is partly government-owned, was either holding some of the funds or knew its whereabouts.

"Ocampo suggested if Bashir's stash of money were disclosed (he put the figure at $9bn), it would change Sudanese public opinion from him being a 'crusader' to that of a thief," a senior diplomat wrote.

"Ocampo reported Lloyds bank in London may be holding or knowledgeable of the whereabouts of his money."

Lloyds last night denied the claims. "We have absolutely no evidence to suggest there is any connection between Lloyds Banking Group and Mr Bashir," the bank said. "The group's policy is to abide by the legal and regulatory obligations in all jurisdictions in which we operate."

Mr Ocampo made his comments shortly after an international arrest warrant was issued for Mr Bashir, the first time the court has pursued a serving head of state. The Sudanese embassy dismissed the claims as "ludicrous" and "laughable" and part of a political agenda to discredit Mr Bashir.

The cables also report Chinese opposition to pursuing Mr Bashir because of its oil interests in Sudan. The claims come less than a month before a sensitive independence referendum in southern Sudan. In other documents released by the WikiLeaks site last night, US officials described European human rights standards as an "irritant".

Terence Davis, the now retired British secretary general, was dismissed as an "unpopular lame duck" and "devoid of vision". He had annoyed US officials for his opposition to secret renditions and prisons for terror suspects.

 

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WikiLeaks: possibility of Israeli-Palestinian co-operation over Gaza

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A cable released by WikiLeaks on Monday suggested close co-operation between Israel and forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when rival Hamas militants overran the Gaza Strip three years ago.


Assange 'death threats'

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WikiLeaks founder says he is being threatened by US soldiers.


WikiLeaks: Yemen radioactive security so poor, material could fall into wrong hands

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Security at Yemen's main radioactive material storage facility was so lax, that the one guard on duty had been removed, while its only security camera had been broken for six months, according a leaked US embassy cable.


WikiLeaks: Julian Assange facing US prosecution bid

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Whistle-blower facing proscution for leaking secret cables, the US Vice President Joe Biden has disclosed.


 

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WikiLeaks: Julian Assange says police feared he would be assassinated outside High Court

The founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange has claimed he is being bombarded with death threats from American soldiers.

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Julian Assange addresses the media outside the High Court in central London Photo: PA

By Christopher Hope, Whitehall Editor 12:49PM GMT 20 Dec 2010

He also said that a statement on the steps of the High Court last week after he was released on bail was cut short because police feared he would be assassinated.

Australian-born Mr Assange, 39, said his son Daniel, 20, and his lawyer have received similar chilling warnings.

Speaking to a Spanish newspaper after being released on £275,000 bail, he said: “I receive death threats all the time. My lawyer receives them, my son receives them.

“Most of them seem to come from members of the United States armed forces.”

Mr Assange’s son Daniel, who works for a software design company, is believed to be in hiding in Australia.

The WikiLeaks founder gave the interview to Spain’s El Pais newspaper from a 10-bedroom Norfolk mansion where he is awaiting extradition to Sweden to face rape allegations.

He said: “It’s marvellous to have left solitary confinement. I feel very determined. “I have seen that we received support on a global scale, especially in South America and Australia, and it seems as if everybody everywhere is supporting us.”

Mr Assange disclosed that police were worried he would be assassinated when he left the High Court after being granted bail last Thursday. As a result he only spoke for a few minutes. He said: “I could have stayed there talking for an hour, but the police were worried because I could have been assassinated – or something like that.”

Mr Assange claimed he had been held in London's Wandsworth Prison on a wing housing “people who have been convicted of sexual offences, child killers”. He added: “There were crazy paedophiles who shouted all night about their crimes. You heard these cries all night.”

He claimed he had the support of most prison guards. One gave him a card containing the words: “I only have two heroes in this world: Martin Luther King and you.” Mr Assange claims he lost a tooth while in Wandsworth prison after chewing on a metal object in a plate of rice and beans.

He said: “I don’t know if it was put there or if it was a simple accident.” He wrapped the tooth up in paper but it later disappeared from his cell while he was out exercising. Mr Assange joked: “It will soon be for sale on eBay. I suppose (it was taken) because they didn't want any kind of evidence that such an episode occurred.”

Mr Assange strenuously denied the allegations being made against him by two women in Sweden and claimed he is the victim of a smear campaign.
He said: “Even with what has been alleged, there is nothing that any reasonable person would say is a rape.

“I don’t like to see the word rape next to my name. I have never had a sexual relationship with anyone without consent.”
Mr Assange was speaking after American Vice President Joe Biden said he was a dangerous “hi-tech terrorist”, adding officials were looking at ways to prosecute him.

Asked whether he thought Assange was a hi-tech terrorist or a whistle-blower, Mr Biden said: “I would argue that it's closer to being hi-tech terrorist.”

Mr Assange has enraged Washington by obtaining a cache of some 250,000 US diplomatic cables and slowly releasing the documents through his whistle-blowing website, often causing huge embarrassment in world capitals.

Mr Assange is staying at Ellingham Hall, a mansion on a friend’s 600-acre country estate in eastern England, where he must live while on bail, pending ongoing extradition proceedings which may take months.

 

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Apple bans Wikileaks App

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Apple has removed an unofficial Wikileaks App from its app store stating it violated "developer guidelines"


WikiLeaks: Bangladeshi 'death squad' trained by British

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The British Government trained an elite police force in Bangladesh accused of extra-judicial killings and human rights violations, according to the latest cables revealed by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks.


Assange: sexual assault accusers 'in a tizzy'

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The WikiLeaks founder says it is “ridiculous” that two women went to the Swedish authorities with their claims.



WikiLeaks: Richard Branson says 'overeducated' British students are unprepared for business world


Richard Branson has criticised the British education system for "overeducating" students and failing to prepare them for the business world, according to leaked diplomatic cables.


 

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WikiLeaks's Assange to publish memoirs: report

LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has sold his memoirs to two publishing houses and is expected to have a manuscript ready in March, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday.


'Wikileaks' enters the English language

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - It happened to Xerox and more recently to Google, and now "wikileaks" has joined the list of proper names that are common enough to enter the English language as their own word.


U.S. diplomats were leery of Allen Stanford - cable

MIAMI (Reuters) - U.S. diplomats in the Caribbean were already wary of Texas financier Allen Stanford, who faces trial for allegedly leading a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, years before he was detained in 2009 on massive fraud charges, a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks shows.


WikiLeaks cables: How 'Hurricane Anna Nicole' blew away the Bahamas

Island was intoxicated by antics of former model and her death unwittingly led to government scrutiny, say cables


WikiLeaks cables: CIA Rendition Case - US Pressured Italy to Influence Judiciary

The US threatened the Italian government to make sure that no international arrest warrants were issued for CIA agents accused of being involved in cleric Abu Omar's abduction.


WikiLeaks cables: Syria believed Israel was behind sniper killing


Assassination of Syrian president's top security aide caused anxiety among the political elite, US embassy cables reveal


 

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Apple tosses out WikiLeaks application


Apple tosses out WikiLeaks application

Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:10am EST

* App removed because it violated guidelines

* Apple latest U.S. company to do so

LOS ANGELES Dec 22 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) joined a growing number of U.S. corporations that have cut ties with WikiLeaks, removing an application from its online store that gave users access to the controversial website's content and Twitter feed because it violated guidelines.

In past weeks, a host of companies from Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) to Bank of America (BAC.N) have withdrawn services for WikiLeaks, which has outraged U.S. authorities by releasing thousands of confidential government documents.

But in a backlash against organizations that have cut off the site, cyberactivists have taken to targeting companies -- such as Visa Inc (V.N) -- seen as foes of WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, was released on bail last week from a jail in Britain, where he is fighting extradition to Sweden over alleged sexual offenses.

"We removed the WikiLeaks App from the App Store because it violated our developer guidelines," Apple said in a statement on Wednesday. "Apps must comply with all local laws and may not put an individual or targeted group in harm's way."

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said he is considering using the U.S. Espionage Act, under which it is illegal to obtain national defense information for the purpose of harming the United States, as well as other laws to prosecute the release of sensitive government information by WikiLeaks.

(Reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)

 

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Apple drops WikiLeaks app, Google keeps it

BOSTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc has joined a growing number of U.S. companies that have severed ties with WikiLeaks, removing an application from its online store that gave users access to the controversial website's content.

But Google Inc, which operates the second-largest online mobile applications store, has kept more than half a dozen apps available on its Android Marketplace that make it easier to access the confidential U.S. government documents WikiLeaks had released on its site.



Norway's top diplomat finds WikiLeaks "fascinating"

OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said secret U.S. documents published by WikiLeaks made "fascinating" reading and are turning the tables on governments used to having the upper hand on the media. "I admit -- it is fascinating to read from parts of the raw material of foreign policy, perhaps especially for us who work in diplomacy every day," Stoere wrote in an article published on his Labour Party's website on Thursday.

"We are like voyeurs who get unexpected access... and it grows even more powerful since it comes from U.S. sources."



Former WikiLeaks official writing tell-all book

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The former spokesman for WikiLeaks is writing a book that promises to reveal "the inner workings and tensions" within the secretive whistleblowing group, Crown Publishing Group said on Wednesday.


WikiLeaks: Julian Assange fears death in a US jail

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Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, said he fears he will die in a US jail if David Cameron allows him to be extradited.


WTF? CIA sets up WikiLeaks Task Force

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The CIA has set up a task force to be known by the acronym WTF to assess what damage has been done by the mass release of thousands of diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.


Playmate Bahamas storm

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WikiLeaks cables show Anna Nicole Smith "endangered government".


 

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Russia's Medvedev: WikiLeaks not to affect U.S ties

MOSCOW | Fri Dec 24, 2010 5:31am EST

MOSCOW Dec 24 (Reuters) - U.S. diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks that portray Russia as a corrupt autocracy run by a venal elite will not affect Russia's ties with the United States, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday.

"I'm not afraid of (Wikileaks), that's for sure ... They have no influence on our relations with the United States," Medvedev said in a live television interview.

(Reporting by Thomas Grove; editing by Steve Gutterman)

 

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WTF? CIA sets up WikiLeaks Task Force


WTF? CIA sets up WikiLeaks Task Force


The CIA has set up a task force to be known by the acronym WTF to assess what damage has been done by the mass release of thousands of diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks.

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Manning was arrested in May and then charged with 'transferring classified data' Photo: AP

10:23PM GMT 23 Dec 2010

The WikiLeaks Task Force will "examine whether the latest release of WikiLeaks documents might affect the agency's foreign relationships or operations," CIA spokesman George Little said.

Few of the thousands of confidential documents leaked by WikiLeaks were from the CIA, but many were secret communications by high ranking diplomats discussing sensitive questions of world and US affairs.

The task force, headed by the CIA's Counterintelligence Center, is to make an inventory of the leaked cables and will report on the impact of the leaks, particularly regarding the ability to recruit of informants, a source who asked not to be named said.

Some of the leaked documents originated on the protected SIPRNET, or Secret internet Protocol Router Network, which is used to share classified information between different government branches.

The embarrassing saga could lead to a tightening of the rules for sharing, the source said.

"The recent WikiLeaks episode points to the serious need for our government to look closely at whether it might be time for need-to-know to make a comeback."


Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of stealing the information and passing it to WikiLeaks, had access to SIPRNET as an army intelligence analyst.


 

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PRESS DIGEST - MALAYSIA - Dec 24


PRESS DIGEST - MALAYSIA - Dec 24

Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:38pm EST

Following are the main stories in Malaysian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.


THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

* The Government is expected to sell more sovereign bonds going into 2011 despite expectations of a further narrowing of the budget deficit next year, say Malaysian rating houses.


NEW STRAITS TIMES (www.nst.com.my)

* It is high alert for a spike in dengue cases following intermittent rain and heat. In issuing the warning, the Health Ministry has called on Malaysians to step up measures to prevent Aedes mosquitoes from breeding, especially outside their houses, or risk being slapped with a 500 ringgit ($160.385) fine if caught doing so.


BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

* PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd, the exploration unit of Petroliam Nasional Bhd, may be listed on Bursa Malaysia next year and it is expected to attract a large number of foreign funds, said MIDF Amanah investment Bank Bhd and head of research Zulkifli Hamzah.


THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

* Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday sent a legal notice to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Utusan Malaysia, seeking an apology and damages for allegedly making defamatory statements on him based on the recent Wikileaks exposure.


THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgemalaysia.com)

* Berjaya Sports Toto Berhad confirmed it had held preliminary discussions within the company on a possible corporate exercise that may see the entry of a strategic investor.


THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com.my)

* MYEG Services Bhd is spending 40 million ringgit on a pilot project, involving an online service tax system, that will kick off March next year.

(Kuala Lumpur newsroom, +603 2333 8046; fax +603 2072 6752, [email protected])

($1 = 3.117 Malaysian Ringgit) (Kuala Lumpur Newsroom: Tel: +603-2333 8046; Fax: +603-2072 6752; Bureau Email: [email protected])


 

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PRESS DIGEST - Canada - Dec 23

Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:00am EST

Dec 23 (Reuters) - The following are top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL:

- At a time when most government agencies are cutting and slashing, a little-known spy agency led by a Rhodes Scholar is the envy of Ottawa for its planned billion-dollar headquarters.

- Canada's former environment minister Jim Prentice privately told U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson more than a year ago that he was prepared to impose new regulations on the oil sands if the industry and province did not improve their environmental performance, newly released Wikileaks documents reveal.

BUSINESS:

- Two major Canadian companies are grappling with the potential fallout from a global deal that aims to level the playing field on export subsidies for commercial aircraft.

- Canada's household debt burden, now as heavy as that of the United States, represents a significant threat to the country's economic recovery, the International Monetary Fund says.

NATIONAL POST:

- Canada's population in the third quarter of 2010 was driven forward by the highest immigration rates seen in four decades, Statistics Canada says.

- Mohawks on the Kahnawake reserve near Montreal say they are happy the Canadian Forces are planning to apologize for calling the Mohawk Warrior Society an insurgent group.

FINANCIAL POST:

- ArcelorMittal SA (ISPA.AS) says it won't extend its $407 million friendly takeover bid for Baffinland Iron Mines Corp (BIM.TO) beyond the expiry date of Dec. 29.

- Alberta's finance department is warning of dire consequences, including a clash of competing jurisdictions governing the country's capital markets, if the Supreme Court of Canada gives Ottawa the go-ahead to create a national securities regulator.


 

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Julian Assange paid two thirds of WikiLeaks salary budget

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Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, received a salary of $86,000 (£56,000) in 2010 - two-thirds of the organisation’s salary budget of $130,000 (£84,000) - it has been reported.


Online stores insure against cyber-hacking after Wikileaks protest

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Online retailers are to be offered insurance against cyber-hacking following the recent attack by supporters of Wikileaks.


 

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Egypt says not seeking nuclear arms

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt is not seeking to acquire nuclear arms and wants to rid the region of such weapons, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on Saturday.

A May 2008 U.S. cable released by WikiLeaks quoted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as warning U.S. officials Egypt might develop nuclear arms if Iran obtained them.


Panama president wanted to wiretap rivals: WikiLeaks

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli tried to bully the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to turn its wiretapping program on political rivals, a State Department cable released by WikiLeaks said.


UAE considered keeping Hamas hit under wraps: WikiLeaks

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates chose to release details of a Hamas leader's assassination in Dubai nearly a year ago, after deciding silence would be seen as siding with Israel, U.S. cables released by WikiLeaks showed.

The assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in an hotel room -- which UAE police said was very likely the work of Israel's Mossad spy agency -- was carried out in January by a team using forged passports and disguises.


Assange memoir to give full details of WikiLeaks


NEW YORK Dec 27 (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's new memoir will give a full account of his life and the secretive group that has leaked large amounts of documents, U.S. publisher Alfred A. Knopf said on Monday.


 

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Julian Assange: my fate will rest in Cameron's hands if US charges me

WikiLeaks founder says it would be 'politically impossible' for Britain to extradite him to the US

Julian Assange said today that it would be "politically impossible" for Britain to extradite him to the United States, and that the final word on his fate if he were charged with espionage would rest with David Cameron.


Morgan Tsvangirai faces possible Zimbabwe treason charge

Lawyers to examine PM's comments on sanctions after WikiLeaks reveals talks with US diplomats

Zimbabwe is to investigate bringing treason charges against the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, and other individuals over confidential talks with US diplomats revealed by WikiLeaks.


Julian Assange to use £1m book deals for legal fight

WikiLeaks founder says he had to sell rights to autobiography to cover legal costs and keep website afloat

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange address Julian Assange says costs for WikiLeaks and his defence against allegations of sexual misconduct are approaching £500,000.

 

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Syria encouraged anti-cartoon protest: U.S. cables


LONDON (Reuters) - Syria actively encouraged violent protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad four years ago in which European embassies in Damascus were attacked, a senior U.S. diplomat said in leaked cables.


WikiLeaks backers say Zimbabwe websites shut down

LONDON (Reuters) - Cyber activists say they have brought down Zimbabwean government websites after the president's wife sued a newspaper for publishing a WikiLeaks cable linking her with illicit diamond trading.

President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace is suing a private newspaper for $15 million for publishing details from U.S. cables on WikiLeaks saying she gained "tremendous profits" from illicit diamonds.


BofA reviews documents amid WikiLeaks threat - report

* Bank reviews cases of missing computers - report

* Bank has found no evidence that WikiLeaks has a hard drive-report


PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A team of up to 20 Bank of America Corp officials, led by the chief risk officer, Bruce Thompson, have been reviewing thousands of documents amid a threat that it may be a target of WikiLeaks, The New York Times reported on Sunday.


Israel said would keep Gaza near collapse: WikiLeaks

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel told U.S. officials in 2008 it would keep Gaza's economy "on the brink of collapse" while avoiding a humanitarian crisis, according to U.S. diplomatic cables published by a Norwegian daily on Wednesday.


Omar Bongo pocketed millions in embezzled funds, claims US cable

Gabon's late president allegedly channelled money to French political parties in support of Nicolas Sarkozy

Gabon's late president Omar Bongo allegedly pocketed millions in embezzled funds from central African states, channelling some of it to French political parties in support of Nicolas Sarkozy, according to a US embassy cable published by El País.


 
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