FRANCE:Jacques Chirac came under renewed pressure yesterday to respond to allegations that he held a secret £30 million sterling (€44 million) account with a Japanese bank, amid reports that documents had emerged linking the former French president to the funds.
Judges questioned a retired senior intelligence officer for nine hours over documents, described as "explosive", linking Mr Chirac to the account.
Police had swooped on the home of Gen Philippe Rondot, former head of the DGSE intelligence service, as part of another inquiry but found files labelled "Japanese affair", "PR1 affair" and "PR2" affair. PR stands for president of the republic.
The judges were unable to consult the documents until Mr Chirac handed over power to Nicolas Sarkozy on May 16th. After opening the files - two days after he left the Élysée - they called an immediate emergency meeting and ordered Gen Rondot to appear for questioning. Inside the files they reportedly found details of an account allegedly opened in Mr Chirac's name at the Tokyo Sowa Bank in the 1990s and copies of statements.
When allegations first emerged a year ago, Mr Chirac categorically denied having a bank account in Japan. His representatives continue to deny the allegations. However, the former president, already facing questioning as part of an inquiry into corruption and abuse of public funds during his time as mayor of Paris from 1977-95, is likely to face fresh investigations when his immunity from prosecution as head of state expires on June 17th.
Judges had ordered raids on Gen Rondot's home and questioned him last year as part of the Clearstream dirty tricks political scandal. When questioned then, Gen Rondot said intelligence agents had come across the Sowa Bank accounts in 1996 when investigating a Japanese businessman and friend of the president who wanted to invest in France. He later retracted this.