NEWS RELEASE from Soutien JPK, support group for missing journalist, Jean-Pascal Couraud.

Lawyer alleges Chirac link to assassination

Links confirmed between French Polynesia and the bank account of Jacques Chirac in Japan, say family of assassinated journalist.

Six weeks ago, we sent you a report of evidence we had in February 2007 from a lawyer who worked with JPK the two last years preceding his disappearance."

This one revealed us possible existence of precise motivations for the assassination, which according to him would be related to the fact that JPK, in 1997, knew existence of traceable accounts attesting to financial transfers, coming from a company of French Polynesia (regarded as closely linked with Gaston Flosse) to a bank account which Jacques Chirac held in Japan.

As well, this lawyer had given details which suggested implication of the French secret service (DGSE) in the assassination made on the person of Jean-Pascal Couraud, the investigation having already established the reality of espionage and surveillance, with Jean-Pascal being the object at the time of his disappearance.

The presence of an ex-agent of the DGSE as head of an espionage cell existing within the GIP made its use within the framework of operations wanted, desired, or suggested, on one level or another, by speakers within the secret service, completely possible.

On May 16, 2007, we officially asked that this lawyer be heard by the examining magistrate, within the framework of the investigation in progress, transmitting a report of remarks that he had shared with us.

On May 23, 2007, an article in weekly Canard enchaîné reports on contents of files found in the home of General Rondot in cases emanating from the long running Clearstream affair, starting with information from the secret service, close to the DGSE.

This same newspaper reports certainty among judges on existence of a Japanese bank account belonging to Jacques Chirac. Among notes found in these files, some mention the name of Gaston Flosse as being involved in the operation of this account.

The article of the Libération newspaper of May 28, 2007 gives other precise details and mentions the Tahara'a affair, a connection Jean-Pascal Couraud had indeed been investigating, exposed in March 1998, three months after his disappearance.

His was the first evidence to be deposited in this sorry file, by means of his lawyer acting on the basis of explicit instructions to this end given to him when Jean-Pascal was still alive.

All this would thus seem to confirm that some of information resulting from investigations carried out by Jean-Pascal Couraud in 1996 and 1997 could be the motive for his assassination.

The investigation continues: three ex-GIP were held in police custody over 36 hours.

As well, the investigation continues, some of what the ex-agents of the GIP testify to police during thirty-six hours of custody were reported in the article of Les Nouvelles.

At this stage of the investigation it is hardly possible to comment on its outcome, since on the one hand, hearings and investigations must still be carried out, and on the other hand, all the parts of our file of instruction were not filed yet.

For the moment, and seeing recent information concerning the very probable existence of a true motive, it is difficult to envisage at which moment the judge will estimate himself sufficiently informed to allow him to propose closure of the investigation.

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Committee of support for research of the truth on the disappearance of Jean-Pascal Couraud All our friends and sympathizers of the committee of support, PAPEETE, on May 30, 2007