Paris, Nov. 18: Families of French engineers killed in a 2002 bombing attack in Pakistan pressed on Thursday for the President, Mr Nicolas Sarkozy, to testify over alleged corruption linked to the deaths.
A lawyer for the families said they had lodged a demand with investigating magistrate, Mr Renaud Van Ruymbeke, that he question Mr Sarkozy, the former President, Mr Jacques Chirac and the former Prime Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, in the case.
Mr Van Ruymbeke is investigating parts of a complex case that has spawned allegations of illegal political funding implicating the former Prime Minister , Mr Edouard Balladur, for whom Mr Sarkozy served as campaign spokesman in 1995.
“The civil parties insist that Mr Nicolas Sarkozy can be heard, even if he is covered by presidential immunity,” the lawyer, Mr Olivier Morice, told reporters. “He must remove all ambiguity,” he added.
The families suspect that the bombing in Karachi in 2002, which killed 11 French engineers and three others, was prompted by the cancellation of commission payments on sales of French submarines with Pakistan.
On Wednesday, French former defence minister , Mr Charles Millon confirmed the existence of kickbacks on the arms deals in testimony to Mr Van Ruymbeke, an official said.
French investigative news website Mediapart in June quoted the Luxembourg police as saying that a company set up with Mr Sarkozy’s approval channelled money from arms deal commissions to fund political activities in France.
Mr Sarkozy and Mr Balladur have repeatedly dismissed allegations of illegal party funding.