Paris - A historian whose research led to the prosecution of the Vichy official Mr Maurice Papon for crimes against humanity yesterday said he had new material showing Mr Papon sabotaged the deportation of Jews to Nazi Germany while working closely with Bordeaux's chief rabbi.
Mr Michel Berges is not due to give evidence until December 1st, but his claims could throw the prosecution case into confusion as they support Mr Papon's assertion that he risked his life to save threatened families.
The Bordeaux trial, which ends on December 23rd, has been the centre of controversy since Mr Papon (87) was allowed to leave custody, despite the anger of plaintiffs' families.
Mr Berges is one of many witnesses who have outlined their evidence in newspapers. He told Le Monde he had recently found documents in Jewish archives that contradicted evidence discovered in 1981. They showed that Mr Papon, responsible for Jewish affairs, was twice detected sabotaging deportation lists in 1943.