France’s Sarkozy: Shocked by detention
PARIS — Former President Nicolas Sarkozy accused France’s justice system of trying to humiliate and destroy him after he was charged in a corruption probe.
The former conservative party leader fought back in a broadcast interview Wednesday, just hours after his release from questioning over an investigation into judicial allegations that he took $67 million in illegal campaign funds from Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi.
Sarkozy said on TF1 TV and Europe-1 radio that he was “profoundly shocked” over his 16-hour detention.
“Is it normal that I should be in custody for so long?” Sarkozy asked. He said his detention was motivated out of “a desire to humiliate me.”
“A part of the justice system is being used for political purposes,” he said.
Le Monde newspaper has reported that the questioning centers on whether Sarkozy and his lawyers were informed about an investigation into the Libyan case by Magistrate Gilbert Azibert in exchange for promises — that were never fulfilled — for him to receive a post in Monaco.
Bill of Rights, 1776 decree due in U.K.
LONDON — Two of the most famous documents in American history — the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence — are going on display in Britain for the first time next year. The British Library said today that the documents, on loan from the U.S., will be featured as part of an exhibit marking the 800th anniversary of the founding document of Britain’s political system, the Magna Carta. The exhibit will provide a rare opportunity to see under one roof all three documents, symbols of liberty on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, officials said. “The bedrock of our modern day society is rooted in the historic documents of the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights — the result of brave citizens who understood the importance of change and reform,” said Tony Marx, president of the New York Public Library. The New York library is lending the Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson copied in his own handwriting. The Bill of Rights, one of the 14 original copies of the document produced in 1789, is lent by the U.S. National Archives.
China expels 3 more in corruption probe
BEIJING — China’s ruling Communist Party expelled three more officials, including a former secretary to a retired security czar, on Wednesday in an anti-corruption crackdown.
The move, a step toward criminal prosecution, adds to a growing list of officials with personal ties to Zhou Yongkang, a retired member of the party’s ruling Standing Committee, who have been snared in the crackdown.
Zhou is thought to be a key target of the campaign launched by President Xi Jinping, who has warned that pervasive corruption could threaten the party’s grip on power.
Those expelled included Ji Wenlin, a former deputy governor of the southern island province of Hainan, according to a party statement. Ji was an aide to Zhou in three posts in the central government before transferring to Hainan.
Also expelled Wednesday were Yu Gang, the former deputy head of the general office of the party’s Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, and Tan Hong, a former senior officer in the Ministry of Public Security’s Guard Bureau. The party statement alleged Yu and Tan took “huge bribes” and that Yu committed adultery.
Cargo plane crashes in Kenya, killing 4
NAIROBI, Kenya — Four people were killed when a cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff at the international airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, a police official said Wednesday.
The Fokker 50 aircraft transporting the mild stimulant khat to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, crashed into a commercial building after taking off from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport early Wednesday, said Joseph Ngisa, the airport’s head of police investigations.
Preliminary investigations found the plane was flying low after takeoff and might have hit an electrical pole before crashing in the Embakasi area of the city, Ngisa said. No one on the ground was harmed, and the four bodies of those in the plane were recovered, he said.
The Kenya National Disaster Operation Center said the victims included the flight engineer, pilot and two crew members.
Khat is popular in parts of the Middle East and Africa, but it’s classified as a dangerous narcotic in the United States. Users chew the leaf, producing a mild high.