Families sue Chirac in Pakistan arms scandal

Relatives of engineers killed in a 2002 bomb attack in Karachi to lodge manslaughter suit.

PARIS: Families of French engineers killed in a 2002 bomb attack in Pakistan will lodge a manslaughter suit against former French President Jacques Chirac, their lawyer said on Friday.

Their civil suit for manslaughter and endangering life also targets former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and former executives involved in an arms deals linked to the case, said the families’ lawyer Olivier Morice.

Investigators suspect the bombing in Karachi in 2002, which killed 11 French engineers and at least three Pakistanis, was revenge for the cancelling by Chirac of commissions for officials in the sale of submarines to Pakistan. The deal was to sell three Agosta 90 submarines to Pakistan for an estimated $950 million.

“Our complaint is going to target how the decision to stop the commissions was arrived at,” Morice said.  The suit has been prompted by recent testimonies from arms executives in the case, he added. The testimonies state that Paris was aware of a “risk” to French personnel on the ground, if the payments were stopped.

Investigators have also heard from witnesses who allege Sarkozy was linked to the commissions. As budget minister in 1994, Sarkozy would have authorised the arms sales and commissions to Pakistan. However, he has dismissed the case as a “fairytale.”

Chirac and De Villepin have not publicly commented on the allegations while Balladur has denied involvement. The families want all four men to testify to investigating judges.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2010.