Prison avec sursis requise contre l’ex-patron de la DGSE Bernard Bajolet

Le parquet a requis vendredi six à huit mois de prison avec sursis contre l’ex-patron des services secrets français Bernard Bajolet, suspecté d’être à l’origine d’une tentative d’extorsion à l’encontre d’un homme d’affaires en litige avec la DGSE, un ordre qu’il nie avoir donné.M. Bajolet, patron de la DGSE entre avril 2013 et mai 2017 et aujourd’hui âgé de 76 ans, comparaît depuis jeudi devant le tribunal correctionnel de Bobigny pour complicité de tentative d’extorsion et atteinte arbitraire à la liberté individuelle par personne dépositaire de l’autorité publique.La décision sera rendue le 8 janvier, soit presque 10 ans après les faits, qui remontent au 12 mars 2016.Ce jour-là, Alain Dumenil, homme d’affaires franco-suisse impliqué dans pléthore d’affaires judiciaires et de litiges commerciaux, est arrêté par la police aux frontières à l’aéroport Roissy-Charles de Gaulle alors qu’il doit se rendre en Suisse.Les policiers l’emmènent sous prétexte de devoir vérifier son passeport et le conduisent dans une salle.Deux hommes en civil, appartenant à la DGSE mais jamais identifiés, entrent dans la pièce et informent M. Dumenil qu’il doit rembourser 15 millions d’euros à la France, les services de renseignements estimant qu’il les a escroqués au début des années 2000.Les agents le menacent, notamment en lui montrant un album de photographies de ses proches, et l’homme d’affaires s’emporte et annonce porter plainte. Les agents s’éclipsent.- “Eviter l’humiliation” -Au cours de ce procès, qui a parfois semblé devenir celui des services secrets, Bernard Bajolet a toujours reconnu avoir validé le principe d’une rencontre mais sans avoir jamais imaginé, a-t-il assuré, que cela se ferait avec “une forme quelconque de contrainte”.”Les choses ne se sont pas passées comme elles auraient dû”, avait reconnu jeudi Bernard Bajolet.Mais pour le parquet, “la version de M. Bajolet n’a aucun sens”.”Il va de soi que les agents avaient des instructions” et donner un ordre rend la personne “punissable comme complice”, a considéré la procureure qui, reconnaissant en M. Bajolet un “grand serviteur de l’Etat”, a toutefois demandé d'”éviter l’humiliation” et de ne pas inscrire la condamnation sur son casier judiciaire.L’avocat de la défense Mario-Pierre Stasi, qui a dépeint Bernard Bajolet comme “un homme intègre, pudique, d’une rectitude morale admirable”, a appelé à ne pas tirer du terme “initiative” des conclusions hâtives quant à une implication directe de l’ex-patron de la DGSE.Son confrère Joachim Bokobsa a, pour sa part, pointé la responsabilité de la police aux frontières dans le “faux contrôle” de passeport qui est, selon lui, le seul élément de l’atteinte à la liberté et qui “n’est pas imputable à la DGSE”.- Préjudice “incommensurable” -Dans leur plaidoirie, les avocats de la partie civile ont autant visé M. Bajolet, responsable selon Me William Bourdon de cette “misérable petite barbouzerie”, que la DGSE et “sa culture du secret, sa culture de l’impunité, sa culture de l’immunité”.A plusieurs reprises durant l’instruction, la justice a ainsi cherché à connaître l’identité des agents qui ont menacé M. Dumenil.”A quatre reprises, on a refusé, on a fait obstacle, on a brandi le secret de la Défense nationale”, a pointé Me Nicolas Huc-Morel, qui représentait également M. Dumenil.Faisant état d’un préjudice “incommensurable”, il a demandé trois millions d’euros. Un montant qualifié d'”indécent” par la défense.Lors de ces deux jours, les débats ont également longtemps tourné autour du litige opposant M. Dumenil à la DGSE.Les services secrets estiment que l’homme d’affaires les a arnaqués et leur doit 15 millions d’euros, dont trois d’intérêts, à la suite des manœuvres financières qui lui ont valu d’être mis en examen pour banqueroute.Depuis la fin de la Première Guerre mondiale, les services de renseignements extérieurs gèrent un patrimoine privé confié par l’État dans une volonté d’indépendance de l’institution en cas d’occupation étrangère ou de disparition du gouvernement. À la fin des années 1990, les services secrets réalisent des investissements infructueux dans une société. Alain Dumenil est appelé à la rescousse mais, selon un article de Challenges datant de 2021, a alors réalisé, via une holding, un “tour de passe-passe” au détriment, notamment, de la DGSE.

Spanberger and Sherrill: the new power duo of moderate US Democrats

Two women, two states, two landslide wins. Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill aren’t just the new governors of Virginia and New Jersey — they’re the fresh faces of a centrist movement seen as key to the revival of Democratic Party politics.Former public servants who entered Congress together in 2019, Spanberger and Sherrill have long shared more than just political goals. After Tuesday’s sweeping victories, they’re being hailed as the pragmatic wing of a party still desperate to define itself after defeat to Donald Trump’s Republicans in 2024.Spanberger, 46, made history as Virginia’s first female governor, cruising to victory with a stunning 14-point lead in the East Coast state of more than eight million. In New Jersey — a state of a similar size in the same region — Sherrill, 53, defied expectations with a similarly commanding win, beating her Republican rival by more than 13 points.While neither state has backed a Republican presidential candidate in over two decades, Trump’s strong showing last year — narrowing the gap with Kamala Harris — had Democrats sweating. Spanberger and Sherrill’s decisive wins appear to have calmed those nerves, at least for now.- Service before politics -In 2019, after two years of Trump in the White House, Democrats regained the majority in the House of Representatives. Spanberger and Sherrill arrived in Washington as part of a wave of centrist Democrats focused on security, service and problem-solving. Their backgrounds read like resumes built for leadership.Sherrill is a former Navy helicopter pilot, Naval Academy graduate, Georgetown University-trained lawyer and federal prosecutor. Spanberger spent years as a CIA officer, working undercover on overseas missions.When they first came to Congress, they bunked together in Washington, forging a friendship that has lasted through campaigns and Capitol Hill chaos. Sherrill recently told CNN the pair frequently discussed their campaigns.”Here’s somebody who comes from that national service background like I do, someone who’s a mom, like I am. She has three kids, I have four,” she said.- Future of the party -Their policy platforms struck a similar chord with voters: a laser focus on the cost of living.In her victory speech, Spanberger promised to “focus relentlessly on what matters most, lowering costs, keeping our communities safe and strengthening our economy for every Virginian.”With inflation still biting and Democrats bruised from the 2024 elections, that message resonated. But Spanberger and Sherrill aren’t the only ones shaping the party’s future.In New York, newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani — a 34-year-old progressive, Muslim, and self-described democratic socialist — rode a wave of enthusiasm with the same message about affordability.But his broader political outlook poses a sharp contrast to the centrism of Spanberger and Sherrill, begging the question: Who best represents the future of the Democratic Party?Political scientist Wendy Schiller of Brown University says the two governors “believe in the core Democratic messaging, but they’re centrist, meaning they aren’t perceived as too ideological.”That could be a winning formula in swing states, unlike deep-blue New York.With Trump set to leave the White House in 2028, the stage is already being set. And Spanberger and Sherrill may be just getting started.

Zimbabwe opposition politician arrested in S.AfricaFri, 07 Nov 2025 16:34:37 GMT

A Zimbabwean opposition politician and fierce government critic was arrested in South Africa on Friday for possession of explosives, his brother told AFP.After Zimbabwe media reported that Job Sikhala had been arrested, South African police confirmed they had detained two men in a vehicle containing 26 blasting cartridges and detonating devices. The men were aged 53 …

Zimbabwe opposition politician arrested in S.AfricaFri, 07 Nov 2025 16:34:37 GMT Read More »

Hundreds of flights cut across US in government paralysis

Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid congressional paralysis over the federal budget.Forty airports were slated for the slowdown, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter standoff over spending priorities, including healthcare, Congress has ground to a standstill, leaving the entire federal funding spigot closed.Vast numbers of government employees, including vital airport staff, are either working without pay or furloughed at home, waiting for the now nearly six-week crisis to end.The flight reductions were to take effect gradually over the coming days, starting at four percent and rising to 10 percent next week if Congress still hasn’t reached a funding deal.About 840 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled, according to tracking website FlightAware.The most affected airports were Chicago O’Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth, according to data analyzed by AFP.”This is frustrating. We don’t need to be in this position,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC.The upheaval means ordinary Americans are now directly feeling the impacts of the Washington fight, where the funding shutdown began October 1, increasing pressure on both parties.The Senate was expected to try for the 15th time Friday to approve a short-term, House-passed funding measure that would reopen the government — but the vote was expected to fail like the previous 14.US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Democrats, saying they should vote to reopen the government.”If Democrats are going to go home this weekend, and they’ve kept the government shut down, that’s shameful,” Duffy told reporters at Reagan National Airport.However, Republicans control Congress and Democrats have said they will refuse to sign off on the majority party’s budget plans, including severe healthcare cuts.- ‘Hurting people’ -The flight reduction measures come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away.”This will get serious if things drag on to Thanksgiving,” retiree Werner Buchi told AFP at New York’s LaGuardia airport as he waited for his daughter to arrive on a flight from Wilmington, North Carolina.Rhonda, 65 — who arrived at LaGuardia without a hitch from Portland, Maine — worried about holiday plans “that could be ruined because people won’t talk to each other. This is hurting a lot of people,” she said.American Airlines said in a statement that its scheduled reduction amounted to 220 flight cancellations each day.Delta Air Lines said it was cutting about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines axed around 100 flights set for that day.More than 6,800 US flights were delayed Thursday with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, with passengers facing long lines at security checkpoints.Travelers at Boston and Newark airports also faced average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National more than an hour.Authorities said they wanted to act before an accident occurred.”We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself, when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,” said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.- ‘Safe to fly’ -President Donald Trump’s administration sought to reassure people that flying remains safe.”It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy said on social media late Thursday.But many in high-stress aviation-related jobs are now calling in sick and potentially working second jobs to pay their bills.

Seven hospitalized after suspicious package opened at US base

Seven people were briefly hospitalized after a suspicious package containing a white powder was opened at the military base near the US capital that is home to Air Force One, the presidential jet, US media reported.The CNN television network said initial tests of the unknown substance by a HAZMAT team found it not to be hazardous but an investigation was ongoing.The individuals at Joint Base Andrews who were taken to hospital on Thursday were subsequently released, CNN said.Fox News said some of them had reported experiencing headaches.CNN, citing sources familiar with the investigation, said the package also contained what was described as “political propaganda.””Joint Base Andrews responded to an incident here today after an individual opened a suspicious package,” the base said in a statement to US media. “As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated.”Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and have turned the scene over to Office of Special Investigations,” the statement said.Joint Base Andrews in Maryland is a short drive from Washington and is used by senior US government officials.President Donald Trump landed at the facility as recently as Wednesday on an Air Force One flight returning him from a business forum in Florida.CNN said the package was opened in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center on the sprawling base.