Two a penny

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The Clearstream trial, dubbed France trial of the decade, featured a role reversal Tuesday, with French investigating judge, Renaud van Ruymbeke, sitting not on the bench but on the witness stand.

Van Ruymbeke was the judge presiding over the 2001 investigation into a scandal in which French politicians allegedly received kickbacks as a reward for assisting with the sale of French frigates to the Taiwanese government. The money for the kickbacks was supposedly laundered through Clearstream, a Luxembourg-based financial concern.

The judge involvement in the case took an odd turn in 2004, when he became the recipient of the falsified material, which had been sent to him anonymously by Jean-Louis Gergorin, a former vice-president of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

&raquo Special Report on France&#039s trial of the decade
&raquo Who&#039s who in the trial
&raquo How a finance trial turned into a major political scandal
&raquo A glossary of terms in the Clearstream saga
&raquo From Ben Barka to Elf, justice turns a blind eye to political elites
The frigate investigation went nowhere, as van Ruymbeke was repeatedly denied access to information. By sending me lists anonymously Gergorin allowed me to verify whether the lists were real or fake, said Van Ruymbeke. .

Contradictory testimony marks trial

The four anonymous letters and a CD-ROM, which the judge received in 2004, contained lists of names of people allegedly holding secret bank accounts with Clearstream.

Judge Ruymbeke dismissed the case in October 2008 because of the lack of information, but his role continues in his capacity as witness. It included Nicolas Sarkozy, who was then jockeying with Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to run as their party’s candidate to succeed President Jacques Chirac.

On Monday, key witness General Philippe Rondot appeared in court to discuss his notes, which claim that de Villepin clearly mentioned Sarkozy in connection to Clearstream at a meeting held on January 7, 2004.

The Clearstream trial, which began September 21, has been marked by contradictory testimony.

Clearstream trial – Nicolas Sarkozy
. This, however, contradicts de Villepin statements last week, when he took the stand and flatly denied the notes were an accurate reflection of the conversation

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Rotten eggs stench lingers on Wellington fairway

Wednesday, 12 November 2008

A decade after Wellington's $149 million sewerage plant opened, a report confirms nasty gases smelling like dead bodies, decaying cabbage and rotten eggs are oozing from the site in warm weather.
A flurry of complaints is forcing remedial work to reduce the stench escaping from the Moa Pt Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The extended dry spell last summer led to complaints about nasty odours from the plant, typically from people living close toby on the south coast and from golfers at Miramar Golf Course. Seawater is rich with sulphates that create a good environment for nasty gases to be generated.
Reports commissioned by Capacity, part of Wellington City Council, have found that high levels of seawater in the sewerage system are the likely cause.
One of the most common gases is hydrogen sulphide, which produces the classic "Rotorua odour". The problem is potentially worse during hot months when compounds which cause odours can double in concentration.
Capacity operations manager Gary O'Meara said Wellington skyscrapers were a big contributor to the seawater."
The Moa Pt plant cost $149 million and was completed in 1998 after 20 years of public debate. "Most high-rise buildings, which have basements below the tidal level, have pumps to keep them dry and that does get into the wastewater system.
The report also says that "concrete in the biosolids storage tanks have undergone rapid deterioration due to acid attack after 10 years in service" and would become unserviceable in the close to future without remedial work.
A report by expert Keith Davis recommends that direct entry of seawater from basement pumps should be removed first and, in the long term, parts of the networkbe upgraded to reduce the amount of seawater entering through pipe joints and old pumping stations. .
He warns that the long-term detrimental effects of seawater in the network will have far-reaching financial effects on the community in the future. None of the odour complaints lodged this year saw the plant breach its resource consent conditions. None of the odour complaints lodged this year saw the plant breach its resource consent conditions

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Clues sought on mystery HB graveyard

By KATHY WEBB Tuesday, 11 November 2008

After months of investigation and research, transport officials are turning to the public in their quest to identify 33 bodies buried in the path of a planned Hawke's Bay motorway extension.
NZ Transport Agency has had no luck finding out who might be in the Irongate Rd graves, which are near the site of a former pa known as Te Awa o Te Atua, but are believed to contain the bodies of Europeans rather than Maori.
Maori seers, or matakite, who say they can see the dead, pinpointed the graves during a visit to the Irongate area after the Hawke's Bay Expressway extension route was designated 18 months ago. . Their find was confirmed by a ground radar search in September.
"There's been a lot of interest in this discovery, and we'd like to give the public an opportunity to volunteer any information that they think could help us move forward," he said.
However, research into the site had failed to come up with any further details.
There were no plans to move the graves yet.
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said: "This is potentially a significant piece of our history, and any clues that could shed some light on their origin will be welcomed.
"At the moment we're focused on learning more about this discovery," Mr Bramley said."

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Court rules beating footage should be seen

Monday, 29 September 2008

The Auckland High Court has ordered that a videotape of a prisoner being beaten and pepper-sprayed in a police cell should be seen by the public.
More than eight hours of footage was filmed at the Whakatane police station where Rawiri Falwasser, 20, was badly injured while in custody on Labour Day in 2006.
The policemen convinced the trial judge to prevent television stations from showing those images to the public.
In June the closed-circuit television tapes of the incident were played to a Tauranga District Court jury that acquitted Sergeant Keith Parsons, 51, Sergeant Earle Busby, 46, Senior Constable Bruce Laing, 53, and Constable John Mills, 39, of nine charges of assaulting Mr Falwasser.
Both broadcasters showed footage from the tapes today and TV3 reported that the High Court decreed the trial decision not to release the tapes was "wrong in every way".
TVNZ and TV3 sought the release of the tapes because not releasing the them would "inevitably lead to a view that the jury got it wrong and lead to public questioning of the verdict".
He is bashed in the head with a baton, leaving him bleeding.
It said the perspex walls of Mr Falwasser's cell at the Whakatane police station gave a clear view of what happened to him.
The tape also shows Mr Falwasser being sprayed repeatedly with pepper spray through vents in the cell, at one point he tries to block the vents with clothing and at another he drops to the ground.
Police said they were using reasonable force, Mr Falwasser said he feared for his life.
But Police Association president Greg O'Connor said the public would only get half the story.
M r Falwasser's mother said despite the verdict she was pleased the tape had finally been made public.
Mr O'Connor said the release would result in trial by media.
"The problem is there's no sound on the tape so the public will not hear the entreaties, they will not be told that Mr Falwasser's brother, that a medical professional, that a mental health professional, had attempted to obtain his co-operation before this happened," Mr O'Connor said. However, seen segmented and edited it will be the enemy, not only of the officers but of police and the justice system in New Zealand.
"These officers thought the video was their friend in this situation, and it was — when seen in its entirety.
Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch earlier told the court the public interest in the case was wider than just the verdict: "It related to how a person was treated in custody."
But the High Court today ruled the reputation and rights of police officers were outweighed by the public's right to see the evidence that led a jury to acquit them."