Jacques Chirac asked too much money from African presidents, Bourgui

Late French President Jacques Chirac received at least $10 million from African heads of state for his 1995 election campaign, said Robert Bourgi, his envoy for France-Afrique, who said his boss was asking for too much . When he was first elected to the French presidency in 1995, President Jacques Chirac received financial support of at least $10 million from presidents such as Omar Bongo (Gabon), Denis Sassou N'Guesso (Republic of Congo), Blaise Compaoré (Burkina Faso) and Mobutu (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC). Mr Chirac also benefited, during his re-election in 2002, from the largesse of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, to the tune of three million dollars, added Robert Bourgi. He said each head of state offered at least one million dollars. Robert Bourgi said that African presidents always send emissaries to the Élysée to deliver their contributions. He gave the example of Gabon, where the emissary brought the money in a coded briefcase. Mr Bourgi said h e was shocked at the end and wanted the transfers to stop given their scale. He also said that several African heads of state were wondering what Jacques Chirac was doing with all that money. Robert Bourgi provided this information on France 24 during the presentation of his book: "They know that I know everything. My life in France-Africa." Source: Burkina Information Agency