(6 Oct 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Exteriors of Paris tribunal
2. Various of Jacques Attali, former advisor of late French president Francois Mitterrand, arriving and entering courtroom
3. Various of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand (with grey shirt and blue tie), son of late French president Francois Mitterrand, arriving and entering courtroom
4. Sign above entrance of courtroom
5. Lawyer of Israeli tycoon Arkady Gaydamak surrounded by journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (French) William Goldnagel, Arkady Gaydamak's lawyer:
"It is out of the question that my client spends a single day in prison because he didn't commit any crime. There is no arms trafficking. Have a look at the indictment charges and you'll see that it is not serious, and I'm being nice with Mr. (investigative judge Philippe) Courroye."
7. Various of Charles Pasqua, former French interior minister, arriving and entering courtroom
8. Mid shot crowd of journalists
9. Paul-Loup Sulitzer seen on camera screen
10. SOUNDBITE (French) Paul-Loup Sulitzer, former businessman:
"The truth is that I am an add-on to this story. I have nothing to do with this arms trafficking if there is such arms trafficking."
11. Sulitzer entering courtroom
12. Wide journalists outside courtroom
STORYLINE:
The long-awaited trial started in Paris on Monday of the son of a late French president, an Israeli-Russian billionaire and 40 other people charged with trafficking arms to war-riven Angola or taking kickbacks.
The biggest-name defendants prepared to take the offensive, with some defence lawyers pushing to have all or part of the seven-year case dropped.
Prosecutors allege that the two key suspects - French businessman Pierre Falcone and Arkady Gaydamak, an Israeli tycoon based in France at the time - organised the sale of Russian arms to Angola from 1993-2000, for a total of 791 (m) million US dollars, in breach of French government rules.
The other suspects, including the son of former President Francois Mitterrand and other members of France's political elite, are accused of receiving money or gifts, undeclared to tax authorities, from a company run by Falcone in exchange for political or commercial favours.
The case is clearly sensitive for Angola. A lawyer for the African country, Francis Teitgen, said on Monday that he would seek to have the trial annulled to protect the rights attached to its sovereignty.
Angola considers numerous documents used by the prosecution to be defence secrets, Teitgen said. Neither Angola nor any of its citizens is a party to the case.
Investigators say the corruption grew into a tangle of laundered money and parallel diplomacy that left a stain on France's relations with Africa.
Lawyers for Falcone and Gaydamak argue there is no reason to pursue the case in a French court because the weapons never transited French territory. Prosecutors disagree, citing the use of a French bank and French companies in the deals.
Speaking at the court on Monday, Arkady Gaydamak's lawyer William Goldnagel said his client should not spend a single day in prison because "he didn't commit any crime. There is no arms trafficking."
A lawyer for Jean-Christophe Mitterrand insisted in an interview published in the daily Le Parisien on Monday that his client never received bribes - only payment for advising Falcone's company about Angola. Mitterrand had served as his father's Africa adviser in the years preceding the arms deals.
The 81-year-old Pasqua, Gaydamak, Falcone and Mitterrand face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and thousands of euros (dollars) in fines if convicted.
The trial is expected to last until March.
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