A businessman wanted by the French government for his role along with the son of former Socialist French president Francois Mitterrand in illegal arm sales to Angola, has declared his innocence and taken refuge in Israel, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported Friday.
Arkady Gaydamak, a billionaire industrialist who was born in Russia but carries passports from France, Canada, Angola and Israel, has been tied to illegal arm sales to Angola by the French company, Brenco International, along with Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of the former French prime minister.
Mitterrand was arrested by French authorities last week. Investigators are examining whether Mitterrand received large sums of money from Brenco's director Pierre Falcone to assist the completion in 1993 and 1994 of Russian arms sales worth more than 500 millon dollars to the Angolan regime of Jose Eduardo dos Santos for his campaign against Jonas Savimbi's anti-Marxist UNITA opposition.
Mitterrand served as his father's advisor on African affairs from 1986 to 1992. French police also arrested Falcone on December 1.
Gaydamak told Haaretz that he is wanted by the French government for tax fraud, and not for arms dealing. He professed his innocence on both counts. He added his lawyers are in contact with French authorities and that he expected to return to France by the end of January.
French newspapers have said that Gaydamak was Falcone's main partner in the arms deals.
The Israeli government has not said whether it will extradite Gaydamak to France, Haaretz reported.
Gaydamak, 48, received Israeli citizenship in 1972 when he moved there from Russia. He holds a 15 percent stake in the Africa-Israel company, an influential holding firm in Israel, which invests money in various industries abroad.
Haaretz also reported Gaydamak has close ties with Danny Yatom, the security advisor to caretaker Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Gaydamak paints the arms dealing affair as part of the struggle for power between Gaullist French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, Francois Mitterrand's successor as leader of the Socialist party.
He also called the attacks on his character as "aimed at a Jew and Russian who succeeded in business" and said his accusers were looking to portray him as a Russian spy or mafia member.
Gaydamak said he met Falcone in 1993 when he was involved in the oil business in South America and soon after embarked on a business relationship with him.
He said his connection with Falcone was remote and that they had met just once in all of six months working together.
Haaretz reported that Gaydamak served as an economic advisor to Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santo after Angola agreed to purchase arms from Falcone, and Gaydamak received Angolan citizenship -- JERUSALEM (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
