Politics, Movies,

Mills And Money

The discovery on March 31 of the horribly mutilated body of kidnap victim Olivier Breaud, son of wealthy French banker Jean Breaud, made with the reluctant co-operation of the three murderers, answered a few questions which had puzzled every body up to that point (PIM May p 17). But at the same time it raised many more which will be with us for years to come.

Hitherto, the behaviour and motives of the kidnappers had definitely not made sense. Above all, if their aim had really been as reported to obtain a huge ransom why had they killed their victim, after only one lame attempt to contact the Breaud family? Once an autopsy had been performed, how ever, the whole look of the case changed. The most shocking revelation was that the Le Goff husband and wife team and their accomplice Daniel Chelle had literally beaten Olivier Breaud to death in slow stages, over a period of 24 hours, breaking practically all his bones in the process.

The only possible explanation for this monstrous cruelty in the worst Gestapo tradition is, of course, that the three sadists were not after money at all but were seeking revenge. What sort of grudge they may have had against the Breauds is far from clear, but it is a well-known fact that they were customers of long standing with the Banque de Tahiti, which belongs to this powerful family, and it seems that they personally knew Olivier.

By the time the funeral took place, in the presence of a wide cross-section of grim-faced political, religious and civic leaders, the two local newspapers were pouring out stories about the murderers’ lurid past and strange business activities.

Although one of them, Yves Le Goff, had already committed a murder in France in the 19605, and all of them had previous criminal records, in addition to having gone bankrupt after various shady dealings, they were warmly welcomed in Tahiti as bona fide investors.

Even more incredible is the fact that when, after a few years in Tahiti, they decided to go into the textile business (of which they had no previous experience) the local authorities not only encouraged them to do so but also assisted them financially.

Among other things they obtained a SUS4OO 000 loan at excep tionally low interest to build and equip a weaving mill, exemp tion from customs duties on raw materials, and, to top it all, a firm promise that the administration would pay the whole work force, 50 men strong, for the first six months of oper ations! During a post-murder inspection of the ‘textile factory’ it was discovered that only three looms out of 40 functioned, and that the supply of thread was barely enough to keep them

going for one day.

Why were these convicted criminals and crooked business men given such favoured treatment? The answer to this per tinent question was first whispered, then hinted at, and finally printed in big, bold type in the press, whereas the government TV and radio news broadcasters kept mum. Simply formu lated, the answer was that the politicians and officials who had gone out of their way to help the ‘investors’ had also spon sored another highly private enterprise sex orgies organised by the murderers in their swank villa on the West coast of Tahiti. The select party-goers must all have been incredibly gullible or terribly drunk or both at the same time since they had cheerfully allowed their hosts to take very colourful pictures of them in full action, thereby opening the door wide to blackmail.

Incidentally, the gendarmes found not only these incriminating still pictures in the villa, but also a movie of a do-it-yourself pornographic performance. According to per sistent press reports, this movie was produced with the gener ous assistance of some technicians from the local TV station.

Of course, this accusation was promptly denied (Take my word for it’) by the former director, Henri Sire, who was re cently packed off to Noumea.

One of the most frequently photographed visitors at Le Goff’ s porno-palace turned out to be Vice-President Francis Sanford’s principal secretary, Paul Bourgeois. Although no formal charges were, or could be, brought against him, the Autonomist party bosses held him mainly responsible for the many unwarranted favours bestowed on the phony indus trialists, and he was forced to resign. Many more heads will probably roll - both figuratively and literally - when the infernal killers are eventually brought to trial and start supply ing more details about their various activities and associates, as they are bound to do, since they have nothing more to lose, the penalty for a crime of this type being death by guillo tine.

The question most often heard in Tahiti these last weeks, however, is why metropolitan French crooks and criminals should be let in at all? From all quarters restrictive measures are being suggested, some of them very far-reaching indeed.

Strangely enough, the most ineffectual proposal was made by a group of close friends of Mrs Tila Breaud who began dis tributing a petition, addressed to President Giscard d’Estaing, and vaguely asking for stricter legislation and more rigorous justice. Droves of indignant citizens signed it nevertheless.

The Gaullist deputy Gaston Flosse, whose Tahoeraa Huiraatira party recently came out for full internal self government (PIM May p 27), squarely blamed the French im migration police for laxity and negligence, and tabled a bill which, if adopted, would make it compulsory for all resident Frenchmen with a criminal record to report to the police once a month. He was joined by the second deputy for French Polynesia, Jean Juventin, who was elected on an Autonomist ticket. Highly embarrassed, Minister for Overseas Territories Paul Dijoud had to veto the proposed measure which he did by branding it ‘discriminatory’ and an ‘infringement of civil liberties’.

As usual, the most radical solution was proposed by the mav erick president of the Polynesian Liberation Front, Oscar Temaru, who publicly chided all other political leaders for lacking the courage to face the problem squarely. Briefly his message was: ‘Our problem is not simply a matter of stopping French criminals and crooks from settling in our islands. They form only a small portion of the total number of French immigrants who, since the bomb tests began, have been pour ing into Tahiti at the rate of a thousand a year. ‘The French want to continue these deadly tests and they plan to grab all the wealth our ocean contains. This is why it is the deliberate policy of the Paris government to swamp the country with French settlers. ‘lf we don’t stop them now, we shall soon be a minority in our own country. This is what has already happened in New Caledonia. Our only salvation is therefore to achieve indepen dence as fast as possible.’