In 1974, the Ba’ath party regime in power in Iraq approved a payment of 1 million dollars to fund the presidential election campaign that year of the late French socialist leader François Mitterrand, according to a document from the intelligence services of the former West Germany, the BND, obtained by Mediapart and German weekly Der Spiegel. The document refers to an intercepted message sent by Baghdad to its embassy in Paris. While it is not known whether Mitterrand’s campaign ever benefited from the reportedly earmarked funds, the BND document raises further questions about the extent of Iraq’s established close and secret relations with French political parties of Left and Right over several decades. Amélie Poinssot reports.
Iraq agreed a payment of 1 million dollars to fund the 1974 presidential election campaign of the late French socialist leader François Mitterrand, according to a document drawn up by the secret services of the former West Germany and obtained by Mediapart and German weekly Der Spiegel, who are partner members of the journalistic consortium European Investigative Collaborations (EIC).
