The exchange lasted barely 30 seconds in the course of a lengthy trial, but it could have a major impact. On Thursday May 19th, during his trial over his alleged role in a massive carbon trading VAT scam, French businessman Arnaud Mimran was questioned at the criminal court in Paris about ten or so trips he made to Israel, beginning in 2009. The defendant was at pains to make clear that he was not connected with the Israeli network involved in the carbon trading affair, an affair which he swears he had no knowledge of. One name that features in the Israeli side of the case is the currency exchange and money transfer Albercom Ltd, which has been accused in the proceedings of having allowed around a hundred million euros in proceeds from the fraud to vanish.
Arnaud Mimran, dressed in a suit and tie, told the court that several of the trips to Israel were family holidays, while others were leisure trips. Finally, noted Mimran, one trip in the spring of 2009 took place because this was when Benjamin Netanyahu, named prime minister on March 31st 2009 and still in office, had taken up his official duties.
“You have, what's more, funded Mr Netanyahu,” remarked the senior judge.
“That's what the press says,” a lawyer interjected.
“No, it's in the case files,” continued the judge.
“I paid him a million [euros],” said Mimran hesitantly.
“Was it a loan that was paid back?” asked the judge
“No,” replied Mimran.
From this brief exchange one concluded that Arnaud Mimran, whose name has been linked with probes into the deaths of people known to him, and who is also under investigation in a separate case of kidnapping and sequestration, had indeed funded the political activities of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The court itself, which is not investigating that issue, did not pursue the matter any further. But the claim immediately caused a reaction in Israel where the daily newspaper Haaretz, which was involved in a joint investigation with Mediapart about links between the two men, noted that the sum cited exceeded Israel's legal cap on personal donations from individuals to politicians.
Mediapart's own enquiries among several people close to the case suggests that Mimran's payment – seemingly given in secret – took place before the alleged carbon trading scam, and was made in 2001. At the time there were no elections in Israel, Netanyahu was not a minister and the Israeli politician was undergoing a brief spell in the political wilderness.
Enlargement : Illustration 1
As for Benjamin Netanyahu himself, he had continued to insist for some time that he had no financial relationship with Arnaud Mimran. Then on April 14th, 2016, the joint investigation between Mediapart and Haaretz revealed the existence of a document drawn up by Netanyahu in July 2002 in which he detailed, country by country, the list of wealthy individuals who had given him financial backing. Among French contributors was the name “Arnaud”, listing the latter’s mobile phone number as 06 11 33 XX XX (last four figures withheld here). Mediapart and Haaretz established that the mobile phone belonged to Arnaud Mimram, as illustrated by a January 2003 phone bill and a family phone directory.
One hour after that report was originally published in French, on April 14th, the Israeli prime minister’s office issued a new statement which finally recognised the financial links between Netanyahu and Mimran. “Mr Netanyahu was not aware of any criminal or illegal activities by the Mimrans when he was in contact with them, as a private citizen, in the early 2000s,” it said. “They were then respected members of the Jewish community supporting Israel in France. After verification of the facts dating from more than 15 years ago, it appears that Arnaud Mimran contributed to the financing of Mr Netanyahu’s public activity during this period, when Mr Netanyahu had no official function. This activity included conferences and foreign tours to explain the Israeli positions, and has always respected the applicable laws on the matter.”
Netanyahu has meanwhile denied Arnaud Mimran's court claim that he paid the Israeli politician one million euros.
According to several different accounts that Mediapart has received, the Mimran family, including Arnaud's businessman father Jacques, helped Israel's Likud Party and at the start of the 2000s lent its apartment on avenue Victor-Hugo in Paris's 16th arrondissement to Netanyahu, who is known as 'Bibi' in Israel. Arnaud Mimran, seen in the photo above in the summer of 2003 with a relaxed 'Bibi' by the sea in Monaco, has always shown a desire to maintain that closeness. At the time Netanyahu occupied a succession of ministerial posts, including finance and foreign affairs, having already been prime minister from 1996 to 1999.
The trial involving Mimran and others over the carbon trading VAT fraud, which involves a total of 283 million euros, is due to end on May 26th. Arnaud Mimran denies any wrongdoing.
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- The French version of this article can be found here.
English version by Michael Streeter