Several high-ranking officers of the French army and one of its main subcontractors for the logistics of external operations (“opex”) will be tried in September 2024 in Paris on suspicion of corruption and favoritism, a judicial source reported on Tuesday, December 12. requested by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
At the end of an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) initiated at the beginning of 2017 after a report from the Court of Auditors, a trial will be held in Paris from September 9 to 25 for various offenses, including favoritism, illegal taking of interests , corruption, violation of professional secrecy and misuse of corporate assets. Facts documented at the time by investigations by the World then from the Radio France investigation unit.
It will concern several markets relating to the chartering of cargo planes or ships used for military transport. “It is not our responsibility to comment on a current procedure”replied the Ministry of the Armed Forces, questioned by AFP.
Among the defendants are eight soldiers, including the former chief of staff of the Operations and Transportation Support Center (CSOA), Colonel Philippe Rives, who will be tried for favoritism, passive corruption, violation of professional secrecy and taking illegal interest. His lawyer Matthieu Hy did not wish to comment. A former commander of the CSOA, General Philippe Boussard, but also a lieutenant-colonel of the Special Operations Command (COS), Christophe Marie, will also be tried for favoritism.
Journalists summoned by the DGSI
All are suspected, to varying degrees, of having participated in the 2010s in an operation which made it possible to favor the private company International Chartering Systems (ICS) in the award of logistics contracts, particularly concerning air transport, for external operations of the French army.
Also on the dock will be the company ICS, as a legal entity, its president, Philippe de Jonquières, and its administrative director.
The magistrates of rue Cambon were surprised, in a report published at the end of 2016, at the high cost of military freight operations via cargo planes allocated to ICS, due to the lack of a French military solution. The investigation revealed, as pointed out the Radio France investigation unit in 2018, sustained exchanges between several senior officers and ICS managers at key moments of contracting. The public radio investigation, in partnership with the online media Disclosedhad earned three journalists a summons by the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI), for suspicion of breaching national defense secrets.
Investigations by the research section of the Paris gendarmerie also revealed several potential manipulations which would have allowed the company to be better rated in the award processes.