The Rise and Fall of Alexandre Djouhri

France's former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (C) and businessman Alexandre Djouhri (L) attending a football match in Paris in April 2014  Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP
France's former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (C) and businessman Alexandre Djouhri (L) attending a football match in Paris in April 2014 Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP
TT
20

The Rise and Fall of Alexandre Djouhri

France's former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (C) and businessman Alexandre Djouhri (L) attending a football match in Paris in April 2014  Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP
France's former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (C) and businessman Alexandre Djouhri (L) attending a football match in Paris in April 2014 Credit: FRANCK FIFE/AFP

French Algerian businessman Alexandre Djouhri won't be kept in prison in London until he appears in court on April 17 since he has managed to avoid the preventive detention via a bail of one million pound sterling.

Djouhri was detained on Sunday at Heathrow airport as he arrived from Switzerland. He was asked not to leave the UK and to stay at his daughter's home in the British capital.

Alexandre, whose original name is Ahmad, wasn’t expecting this fate. He associated with prominent figures and used to move easily among countries in the Middle East, Africa, Europe and even Russia and China. Despite the fact that a European arrest warrant was issued in his case, Djouhri was invited to attend a reception for the French President in Algeria last month. He has also been eluding from the French judiciary since around one year and a half.

The businessman descends from a modest Algerian family that arrived in Sarcelles, Paris in 1959. During his youth, he switched many careers and had a confrontation with the judiciary in 1981 due to suspicions of his participation in attacking a jewelry shop. In 1986, he survived an assassination attempt when he was shot due to a dispute with a competitive group. Later on, Djouhri got introduced to prominent figures in the area of finance, business and politics. Soon, he became an expert in affairs of Africa and the Middle East.

It was normal that he moves from the business to politics in order to build strong ties with influencers.

In 2006, Djouhri cemented ties with the close circle of Sarkozy. When he won the elections in 2007, a luxurious sports vehicle would be seen in front of Elise Palace. The vehicle belonged to Djouhri whom the French judiciary suspects is involved in Libyan funding of Sarkozy campaign.

Libyan funding of Sarkozy isn't new and the relations between the French president and Gaddafi regime were highly complex. They reached the peak when Sarkozy encouraged ousting the regime of Gaddafi.

Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine narrated several times how he transferred millions of dollars in a private airplane from Tripoli to Le Bourget Airport and handed them out to the right-hand man of Sarkozy Claude Gueant.

Notably, Takieddine was a competitor of Djouhri in arms deals and mediation in Libya.



Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
TT
20

Ukraine Urges Investigation into Alleged Russian Chemical Weapons Use

The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
The logo of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Ukraine asked the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague on Tuesday to investigate the alleged use of banned toxic munitions by Russia against its forces.

A request to establish an investigation was submitted by Kyiv to the governing body of the organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

It followed Dutch and German intelligence agencies on Friday saying they had evidence of widespread use of illegal weapons by Russia along the frontline.

Agency chief Fernando Arias said in a statement to the OPCW's Executive Council that in view of the alleged frequent use of dangerous chemical agents his office would step up monitoring of activity along the Russia-Ukraine conflict line, Reuters reportf.

He invited Ukraine to discuss its proposal with member states, a majority of whom may be needed to support such an investigation.

The OPCW created a similar team in 2018 to examine accusations of chemical weapons use in Syria. The Investigation and Identification Team found that Syrian government forces and Islamic State militants had used banned chemical weapons in the civil war that began in March 2011. The United States first accused Russia in May last year of using chloropicrin, a chemical compound more toxic than riot control agents and first used by Germany during World War One. The OPCW, a disarmament agency in The Hague with 193 member states, said last year that initial accusations levelled by both countries at each other were "insufficiently substantiated".

Both sides have denied using chemical weapons in the conflict, which escalated when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"Ukraine hereby requests the Director-General of the OPCW to take steps towards establishing an independent and impartial mechanism (to) investigate cases of alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine," a copy of the request shared with Reuters said.

It asked that the mechanism be empowered to "collect additional evidence and identify perpetrators, organisers, sponsors of such use."

It was submitted at the beginning of four days of closed-door meetings by the 41-country Executive Council of the OPCW. The disarmament body had no immediate comment on the request.

At least three Ukrainian deaths have been tied to chemical weapons use, the Dutch Military Intelligence Agency said, while more than 2,500 people injured on the battlefield reported chemical weapons-related symptoms to Ukrainian health authorities.

On Monday, Britain targeted two Russian individuals and one Russian entity as part of its chemical weapons sanctions regime, in its latest effort to punish Moscow for the war in Ukraine.