DSK, enquête sur un homme d’influence - Cash investigation

Good morning, how are you doing ? Shall we greet each other in compatible mode? Thank you for having us, it's 30 minutes, right? This evening, we are going to tell you about the new life of a man about whom we think we know everything. Dominique Strauss-Kahn He was first and foremost a politician, a socialist. He occupied a large office in the Ministry of Finance. He was married to a big TV star: Anne Sinclair, with big light eyes. He rubbed shoulders with the greats of this world when he was the big boss of the IMF. And

he had big ambitions. become President of the Republic. In short, he saw his life big. But one day, there was the Sofitel scandal. That was life before. Since then, he has been operating in the shadows. DSK is in business and generates millions of euros. Now for the DSK on the Cash side. To tell you this DSK on the Cash side, we immersed ourselves for months in millions of confidential documents entrusted by a source to the ICIJ, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. Code name: the Pandora Papers. And in these secret files, information never revealed on

Dominique Strauss-Kahn. I see there on these documents that you would have received with Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 2.4 million euros. That's not the point of the interview. We discover that the former boss of the IMF is remunerated like a boss of the CAC 40 and that he charges oligarchs, companies or heads of state who are not always reputable for his very expensive advice. His commercial front, ultimately, is these African dictators whom he has stroked. Mr President, have you used the services of Mr Strauss-Kahn? Could you explain to us why? We saved the best for last. The former

left-wing minister has set up his companies in places in the world where taxes are zero. We already arrive at around 6 million euros in corporate tax. That she didn't pay. Which she could have paid in France if she had been domiciled in France. This means that he paid no income tax for 5 years. I am neither the lawyer nor the prosecutor, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives his life. Follow us. in the wonderful business world of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. New York, May 14, 2011. DSK's life is turned upside down. A Sofitel maid, Nafissatou Diallo, has just informed her

superiors that a customer has raped her. He allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him, after pushing and pinning her to the ground. Disheveled, handcuffed, with hollow features, the Director General of the IMF appears to the world as a sex criminal. The affair goes around the world. 150,000 daily front pages were dedicated to him in the days that followed. More than the election of Barack Obama. An endless, dizzying fall. In France, it is the turn of the writer Tristan Banon to accuse DSK of having sexually assaulted him. A few months later, a new scandal,

the Carlton. The fall continues. DSK is indicted for aggravated pimping. Prostitutes recount extremely brutal sex. The two French cases will result in a dismissal and a release for DSK. In the Sofitel case, the former boss of the IMF pays a large sum of money to Nafissatou Diallo. A secret transaction. The victim withdraws her complaint. Do you think the story ends like that? Really ? Well no. This is precisely where our investigation begins. A few months after leaving public life with a bang, DSK made his entry into business, very discreetly. On September 4, 2012, Dominique Strauss-Kahn

created a company with modest capital, 1000 euros. He installed it in his apartment, boulevard Raspail, in Paris, a stone's throw from the MontParnassese Tower. He named his small business : Parnasse. Quite simply. When he created his company, Dominique Strauss-Kahn no longer had a job, but he had a large network. From now on, the former head of the International Monetary Fund and former minister will use his CV to sell himself. I have the joy and privilege of inviting you to welcome the former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, whom I invite you

to welcome with loud ovations and to listen to with great interest. Whatever his legal setbacks, DSK does like former French or American presidents, he becomes a lecturer. Star of the desks. Amid applause, the man talks about the world economy. He gives his good advice. My first remark on this was to say to myself, but in fact, there is only opportunity in crisis. A former Minister of Finance, former Director General of the IMF and, what's more, a former French presidential candidate, a pedigree highly coveted all over the planet. I was in Yalta in Ukraine ten days

ago. I am with you today. I will be in Korea at the beginning of October. THANKS. How much does a conference with DSK as headliner cost? Obviously, the information is not public. To access it, you have to temporarily change jobs and slip into the shoes of a conference organizer. We call Nathalie Biderman. This friend of DSK is responsible for negotiating her contracts. His agent, in a way. Good morning ! We explain to him that we are preparing an economic forum in Algeria. And we would like to propose to Mr. Strauss-Kahn to speak during the inaugural

session. Approximately what are the prices we are looking at? A week later, the former director general of the IMF accepted our invitation. We receive this contract. For 45 minutes of speech, you have to pay 70,000 euros excluding taxes, to which you must add business class plane tickets on the company of your choice. Two nights in a “suite” room, in a hotel, again, of your choice. For this prize, Mr. Strauss-Kahn will not give any interviews, but he is doing us the honor of participating in our inauguration dinner. Apparently, this little speaker business brings in big profits

for the former minister. We discovered previously unpublished documents. The accounts of Parnasse, Dominique Strauss-Kahn's company, for the years 2013 and 2014. On these dozens of sheets, the revenues and expenses of its owner. Small errands, like this Uber. at 10.57 euros up to big bills, like this restaurant at 697.40 euros. But the most interesting thing, we arrive at, are his income, including the amount of his performances on stage. Here, his passage to Ukraine, 100,000 euros. There, his intervention in Tunisia, 65,000 euros. Comfortable emoluments, but which in our country at the time were taxed at 33.13%. The

former Minister of Finance of the Republic leaves France for Morocco. Is he choosing the easy way of life or does he want to avoid corporate tax? That's the question. Pack your bags, we're going on a trip in the footsteps of DSK. Our guide, a document found in the Pandora Papers. A property deed with its new address. Marrakesh. Its riads, its palaces... But that's not where we're going. Dominique Strauss-Kahn does not live in the city, but in its suburbs. You have to go about ten kilometers, past the football field, the few rare olive trees, and just

after the rubble, you arrive at DSK. Behind these high walls hides an estate of more than two hectares. A property in the middle of nowhere, which DSK bought in 2014 for 1.8 million euros. From the sky, this is what it looks like. An architect-designed house, two swimming pools, a small pond and a lawn worthy of a golf green. Nice at DSK. We approach the imposing portal. Immediately, a man opens the door. Well, from there, we had a sound problem with our hidden camera. It's crazy, but it happens. The guard does not want to confirm to

us that DSK lives here. He just let us know that the owner is... French. So. With that, we are well advanced. To approach DSK, we have another avenue. In Morocco, he created a company that he calls: Parnasse International, this time. It has the same activities as Parnasse, based in Paris. Conferences and advice all over the world. Dominique Strauss-Kahn relocated his business even though he was a French resident at the time. He feels Moroccan at heart. We all love Morocco. You are lucky to be Moroccan, I am not, but I act as if. On the statutes

of the DSK company an address is mentioned in Casablanca. We are going there. And there, we do as we often do at Cash. Ah well yes, well... That's how it is. Maybe the concierge will help us. On the Internet we find another address and a telephone number. Hello, I am calling you, I am trying to contact Parnasse International. If I understand correctly, Parnasse International was with you at one time, but it is no longer there, is that right? DSK’s company remains untraceable. However, it makes millions of euros in profits. This is what the company's accounts

tell us. In 2014, two years after its creation, its net profit amounted to 78 million dirhams, or 7.8 million euros. More recently, in 2016, she earned 3.8 million euros and more than 5 million the following year. On these amounts, Dominique Strauss-Kahn paid no tax. Zero. Oualou. Nothing. How is this possible? Quite simply because at the time, Morocco had just created a very attractive jurisdiction for foreign companies. Casa Blanca Finance City. Casa Finance City, the CFC for insiders. To uncover the secrets of this financial center, we are going there. We would have liked to discuss it

with the Moroccan authorities. But they refuse to talk to us. Never mind, we made an appointment with an accountant who works with the CFC and who will explain everything to us. We film with a hidden camera. We pose as a business manager who wants to move the headquarters of her company from Paris to Casablanca Finance City. Okay, here we go. How, when it was created, did the CFC attract companies like that of DSK? At the time, therefore... No tax on profits for 5 years. 8.75% then, compared to 30% in the rest of Morocco. A sweet

scent of tax haven. Thank you very much, goodbye. You understand why DSK succumbed to temptation and registered its company at Casa Finance City. Back in Paris, we have an apparition. Comfortably installed in his tax oasis, has the former Minister of the Republic become the king of optimization? A man helped Dominique Strauss-Kahn settle in at the CFC. On the Champs-Élysées, one of the most chic buildings on the avenue, the offices of Alain Gauvin. Good morning ! I didn't wear a mask... This lawyer is a very close friend of DSK. He is also one of his business

partners. I never would have imagined working in Morocco. Is it recording there or not? Is the tie there? According to him, by setting up the CFC, Morocco was not seeking to create a tax haven. The objective pursued is not to create a washing machine in Morocco, it is not to do money laundering, it is to say that we, Morocco, have the geographical location of being the crossroads and the hub and offer all possible connectivity to foreign investors. Second reason: No company, to my knowledge, sets up in Morocco to avoid taxes. Even that of DSK, Maître

Gauvin? You know this company well, right? According to the documents in our possession, Alain Gauvin helped create Parnasse International, Dominique Strauss-Kahn's company. Its statutes were drawn up by the firm that Alain Gauvin headed at the time, the Lefèvre Pelletier firm. Did you support Mr. Strauss-Kahn in the creation of his consulting company in Morocco? I am not able to answer this question. Did you know that a lawyer is bound by an obligation of confidentiality? Alright. Okay. Second attempt. Basically, when Mr. Strauss-Kahn creates his company, doesn't he go to Morocco to avoid taxes? I am not able

to answer you. And I will not answer this question. Let's temporarily leave Alain Gauvin. At this point, a question bothers us. By transferring its activities from France to Morocco, how much did DSK save in taxes? It's time to put everything on the table. We recovered the balance sheets of Parnasse International, the Moroccan company of the former Minister of Finance. In total, 5 years of account from 2013 to 2018. We hide the portrait of the boss of Parnasse International so as not to influence the view of our guest. Hello, thank you for coming to us. Hello,

thank you for welcoming us. Ano Kuhanathan is an economist specializing in taxation. Together, we will calculate the tax savings made by DSK. Can we start now? Yes, very good. We will start chronologically. So, we are going to take the 2013 bundle, therefore the oldest. So. So when we dig and go down, we even have a net result directly provided to us. Net income is the profit on which corporate tax is calculated. So there you have it, in 2013, that actually gives us a taxable result of around 2,400,000. 2,400,000 euros which we will multiply by 33.13%,

the corporate tax rate at the same time in France. So for that year, indeed, if this company were domiciled in France, it would pay... close to 800,000 euros in corporate tax. Okay, what about being in Morocco? And so there, the fact of being in Morocco and being in the Casablanca free zone during its first fiscal year, therefore the tax is zero. Let's now calculate the total savings made during the 5 years of tax exemption. So here, we are effectively over 5 full fiscal years. We already arrive at around 6 million euros in corporate tax. That

she didn't pay? Which she could have paid in France if she had been domiciled. All right. Exactly 6,163,000 euros in taxes, which DSK did not have to pay with Parnasse International, the little Moroccan sister of Parnasse France. What do you think when you look at the profile of what you saw there? Who is this person actually? It necessarily makes me think of someone who is a former big boss, or of a political figure, a former minister, a former prime minister, a former head of government. Because the figures are still significant, we are getting remuneration which

is quite exceptional, right? I don't have in mind the figures for the remuneration of the CAC 40 bosses, but I think that this person has nothing to be ashamed of about their income compared to the salaries of the big bosses. So, we're going to show you, I think you're pretty good... I hadn't thought about the director of the IMF, but actually, I think it's even flashier on a CV if you have to sell advice. I think he is not the first, and he is certainly not the last leader or politician who claims to be left-wing

and whose behavior is not aligned with the values. The former left-wing leader enjoyed the delights of the Moroccan tax oasis. But that's not all. He also helped build it. According to a document never revealed, between 2012 and 2013, the Moroccan state called on Dominique Strauss-Kahn to refine the legal framework of the CFC, Casablanca Finance City. A job paying 2.4 million euros. This contract is then kept secret. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, works in the shadows. Of this collaboration, we only found this photo. He is alongside the Moroccan Minister of Finance at the time. And do you know who

DSK worked with on this file? with his friend Alain Gauvin. Dominique Strauss-Kahn would have paid part of the money received from the Moroccan state to the firm headed by Alain Gauvin, the Lefèvre Pelletier firm. According to the bank statements of the Parnasse company, from 2012 to 2014, more than one million euros was transferred. The first transfer states: “Retrocession of fees”. What was your role with the Moroccan state on the writing... On the constitution of the CFC? None. You told me that you had worked on the eligibility criteria, etc... We worked on... Not on the eligibility

criteria, we worked on a certain number of banking and financial reforms, but not on CFC directly. Oh yes, okay. Okay, I thought. No ? No. You don't have the right to say it? There, I don't know what is recorded and what isn't. Yes, it's recorded. I see there, on these documents, that you would have received, with Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 2.4 million euros. Not informed of this. Are you not informed? No. All right. No information. You don't want to give any? You are not informed in the sense that it means nothing to you? No. First of all,

that's not the point of the interview. It's the CFC. No, but that's not the point of the interview. The purpose of the interview is to talk about CFC. You can expand, but to the extent that it concerns Casablanca Finance City, banking and financial law, and not what concerns my clients, my possible clients and the conditions in which we advised them. Don't these documents show that you were under contract with the CFC? That's not the question, that's not the point of the interview. Were you in a contract with Mr. Strauss-Kahn to have the CFC or not?

It's simple. No, but the question is simple, it is simply not the subject of the interview. From Master Gauvin, we will obtain nothing more. As for the Casa Finance City that the former minister helped to build, it caused Morocco to be sent to purgatory by Europe. The country was placed on the gray list of tax havens for 4 years. Ironically, the person who made this decision in 2017 was close to DSK. This is Pierre Moscovici. He was then European Commissioner for Economic Affairs. We have an appointment with him. Good morning ! How are you ?

Shall we greet each other in compatible mode? Pierre Moscovici. was a long-time friend of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. They even campaigned together in the Socialist Party. But that was before. Why are you placing Morocco on the tax gray list at this time? This is an absolute first. There were already lists in our different countries, but there was no European list. This is an extremely powerful process because countries are incentivized to respond, because they fear the reputational effect of being on the gray list. Regarding Morocco, there was firstly that there was no formalized exchange of information with Morocco,

and then a certain number of tax regimes which could be considered harmful or... Individuals , and there was the famous Casablanca Finance City. Why was this a problem for Europe? Overall, the problem is that this regime was a derogation from the corporate tax regime in Morocco, which gave significant advantages to non-residents so that they could come and invest in Morocco. And this is why this system had to be reformed. Why did Morocco find itself on the gray list and not on the black list? He could have found himself blacklisted if he had not made a

commitment or if he had not responded satisfactorily to the letter that, on behalf of the European Union, as commissioner in charge of taxation, I wrote to the Minister of Finance. How long did it take, in fact, for Morocco to fulfill its commitments? So the story is ending. It starts at the end of 2017. So you see, the time it takes. Now we are at the moment where Morocco has finally gradually brought taxation in Casablanca Finance City closer to corporate taxation in Morocco. And we are at the moment where... yes, Morocco is out, is out of

any list. And the message that I want to convey as a European is that when we are able to have strong, common rules to fight against all forms of undue tax advantages, and when we dialogue with States, and when we we do it in a friendly state of mind, it works. Do you know who participated in the development of the legal statutes of Casa Finance City? I totally ignore it. According to our documents, the Moroccan state called on Dominique Strauss-Kahn between 2012 and 2013. So to develop the statutes of Casa Finance City, what do you

think? Absolutely nothing. Having belonged to the same political family, it may surprise you. Listen, let's say that he participated in the status of Casa Blanca Finance City and I contributed to Morocco changing its tax regime. What do you mean by that? That we have not had the same evolution. Dominique Strauss-Kahn created a company called Parnasse International, obviously in Casablanca Finance City. That is to say, he did not pay any tax on profits for 5 years. I have no idea what Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been doing for over 10 years. Well all the same, it's not nothing,

he should have paid 6,163,000 euros in tax in France, it's... I am neither the lawyer nor the prosecutor, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives his life , I don't know him anymore. I mean, it doesn't surprise you any more than that, that a former government minister, and you were in the government together in fact, participates in the development of a free zone in Morocco, benefits from it, does not pay tax for five years... Dominique Strauss-Kahn has not been a politician for a long time, for a very long time. He has another life. Let's leave him to his

other life. If he were here, what would you have to say to him today? If I had something to say to him, I would say it to his face and to him personally. I think the day I talk to him, I won't talk to him about that. Okay, why? Because we have other topics. Dominique Strauss-Kahn had been my teacher a long time ago, he was my friend. Our paths have separated. And not only our roads, but probably also our intellectual paths. That's it, that's all. Thank you Pierre Moscovici, thank you very much. We can summarize:

DSK has benefited from a tax oasis. A little paradise that he helped to create, and which did not please his former friend. But there is even more. In 2013, at the same time that Dominique Strauss-Kahn was secretly working on Casa Finance City, he went to the Senate to talk about tax havens. The event will disturb the calm waters of the Luxembourg Palace. A few months after his indictment in the Carlton affair, DSK returned to the political arena. A group of senators is working on tax evasion. This June 26, they are hearing the former director general

of the IMF. We're going to go down here. Éric Bocquet, communist senator, is one of those who invited DSK. I saw his entrance, ah it was a tsunami. The journalists went to welcome him with a force of camera, microphones, booms, with a crackling flash. I had never seen anything like this. Which caused a stir among some, inappropriate comments, I found. Some consider that the commission of inquiry had wanted to show off a little by creating an event. That wasn't the point at all. What could DSK have said to the senators? Did he draw up any

diagrams on the mechanisms of tax evasion? From the start of his hearing, he adopts a professorial tone. And if I say that, it's because these few words served me for many years as an introduction to my monetary economics course that I took at university. Professor Strauss-Kahn lectures the senators. Basically, he took us for the first years of finance and economics. To make himself understood by his students, the teacher spins the metaphor. Incriminating finance, in the economic disaster we are experiencing, has for me approximately the same relevance as incriminating the automobile industry. when we talk about

road deaths. Of course, if we have safer cars, it's better than if we have less safe cars. But just having a machine that works better doesn't stop running red lights for those who have decided to burn them for their own benefit. And if not, on tax evasion, who is the subject of the hearing? The tax haven in itself has unfair consequences for States which are deprived of the tax revenue they should have, but the fact that certain sums escape tax does not necessarily have systemic consequences. It is therefore less finance that is in question than

the financiers. Dominique Strauss-Kahn did not question the system, he questioned individuals. So with hindsight in his mouth, it's quite curious to hear that today, the attitudes... The excesses of certain individuals. Basically, it's not the system that's bad. Obviously, it's complicated to denounce tax evasion when you get a taste for it. THANKS. Guess what DSK did at the end of the 5 years of Moroccan tax exemption. With the greatest discretion, he opened a new company in an even more opaque jurisdiction. Ah, in Cash, we know about tax havens . In Panama, perhaps? No, this time, we're

not putting the hats back on. To the Isle of Man? Neither. We leave the wigs in the closet. In Bermuda? Still not. We are not returning to the land of men in Bermuda. DSK chose to go to the desert, to the Middle East, to the United Arab Emirates. This information should have remained secret. But in the Pandora Papers there are confidential documents on a new company created by DSK. We discover that in April 2018, Dominique Gaston-André opened Parnasse Global Limited. For this creation, he called on SFM. This company, which took all the steps for him,

is based in Dubai. The Emirates are the new fashionable tax haven, with their 0% taxes. They are said to house thousands of tax exiles from around the world. SFM, the company through which DSK went, is the leader in the creation of offshore companies in Dubai, thanks to its very explicit advertisements, including this one in French: “Meet Jacques, who is here to help you to understand how quick and easy it is to incorporate your offshore company. Simple, quick and effective.” This SFM advertising message was pinned by the French Senate. This type of communication is quite simply

an incitement to evasion and tax fraud. Simple, quick and effective. In a few hours, we get an appointment in this tower in the financial center of Dubai. On the 13th floor, the SFM premises. With a hidden camera, we meet one of their salespeople. Good morning, how are you doing ? Good and you ? Alright. Okay, Linda, nice to see you. Welcome. Our request is unambiguous. I have a consulting company in France called Cash. And for us, the main goal is to avoid tax in France. It's very simple. You only need to appoint a director or

shareholder. It could be the same person. We don't need an office here? No, no need. So I don't need to come back to Dubai? No, that's not necessary. Your company is not required to file accounting documents. We will not ask you to deposit them. We have a good level of confidentiality for customers. No obligation to file accounts. Total opacity for a ridiculous price. And the total cost per year for us will be... How much did you say? The price to remember is 2000 euros per year. It seems too good to be true. Yes, it's true.

This is the principle of an offshore jurisdiction. Goodbye, thank you very much. To benefit from these great advantages, SFM will not register our company in Dubai, but in another emirate. This is what happened for Parnasse Global, Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s company. To discover the holy grail of tax evasion, you have to get out of town and wait for the landscape to change. After a hundred kilometers... Here we are on another planet. Alone in the world... Or almost. We are in Ras Al Khaimah, the RAK for those in the know. This small emirate has its own legislation. It

is in the middle of this desert, behind the dune, that we discover the building in which the new DSK company was registered. Yes, yes, it's there, at the very bottom. We go there with a hidden camera to try to obtain information on Parnasse Global, the Emirati company of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Ah, wow! Ah, it’s beautiful! Impressive ! Did you see that? The RAK ICC is the RAK trade register. Brand new and deserted premises. Good morning ! Magnificent office! In France, companies are required to submit their accounts to the commercial register. And anyone can get them. I

would like to know about a company that is registered here, Parnasse Global. You can contact someone from the business department. I can give you a contact. Is there nothing public here? Um... No. I'll give you their card if that suits you. Okay, great. Thank you so much. Bye. We will call the number we were given. It is that of one of the main directors of the RAK ICC. I will be doing business with a company that is registered with the RAK. I wanted to know if it was possible to at least have a little information

on this company to be sure that it exists, that it has a turnover, etc... Okay, because you know, We in France have a trade register. Doesn’t that exist here in France? We don't exist here? If I want to know the owner of the company, what should I do? Okay, I understand. It's completely confidential. Ok, so the only way is to contact the company in question. Ok, well, thank you very much. No public register of companies, no filing of accounting balance sheets. The Emirate does not respect international anti-fraud rules. Could the RAK be one of the

most opaque tax havens in the world? We will interview one of the ICIJ experts, based in Washington. Hello Mike. Good morning, how are you doing ? With his team, Michael Hudson has been investigating this jurisdiction for almost two years. How do you analyze the functioning of the financial system in the United Arab Emirates? The United Arab Emirates is a major financial center. And as such, they have become a major player in the secretive world of offshore. The Emirates has a reputation as a very safe place for those who commit misdeeds and want to hide their

money or even live there. When you say a safe place, what do you mean by that? Safe means that the authorities will not interfere in your money affairs. They're not going to take your money. They are not going to tax it and are unlikely to collaborate with authorities in other countries. The NGO Tax Justice Network has made a ranking of the main offshore centers in the world. Since 2020, the United Arab Emirates has been in tenth position, just behind the British Virgin Islands and ahead of famous tax havens like the Bahamas or Cyprus. Can we

say that the RAK symbolizes the ideal tax haven? I don't know if ideal is the right word. But the goal of these tax havens, these offshore places, is zero taxation and total secrecy. This is also what most of their clients are looking for, those who do not want to pay taxes, as well as those who want to launder dirty money from Ponzi schemes or drug trafficking. After the Panama Papers and other tax evasion scandals, has the RAK become more attractive? We see in the Pandora Papers documents that clients left the Mossack Fonseca firm which was

at the heart of the Panama Papers investigation for other companies specializing in offshore, located all over the world. Thieves are always one step ahead of the police, right? Thieves are often one step ahead of the investigators, even two or five steps ahead. Because you know, there are so many offshore companies and so many ways to hide money. Thieves innovate faster and more efficiently than honest people. Ok, thank you very much Michael. Thank you. Bye. We will try to contact Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Between Casa Finance City and the RAK, we are starting to have a lot of

questions to ask him. We would particularly like to question him about his pronounced taste for oases, where taxes are zero. First attempt on his Emirati cell phone. Good. We try the Moroccan number. Call failed. Very surprising. So I'm going to try again, that way we'll see if he blocked me or not. It never rings, so he blocked me. We call with another cell phone. Please leave a message after the beep. Yes, hello Mr. Strauss-Kahn, this is Élise Lucet, France 2, Cash Investigation. I would like to call you because, as you may know, we would really

like to interview you as part of the investigation we have been carrying out on your professional activities for several years, particularly in Morocco and the RAK. Would you be kind, please, to call me back as quickly as possible at the number displayed. Thank you very much, I look forward to your call. THANKS. Let's keep hope, he will eventually call us back. To help you discover another side of DSK, the businessman, let's settle down comfortably in a cozy and peaceful place. This is where we are going to tell you a terrible story, the kind that is

told by the fire. The long evenings of autumn. The story of a friendship which ended in tragedy, the death of a man. Evening... Slide. It all started in June 2012, when Nathalie Biderman, Dominique Strauss-Kahn's friend, introduced her to her companion, Thierry Leyne. He's a big-time businessman. He collects flashy motorcycles and shiny luxury shoes. In the 1990s, he made his fortune by creating one of the first online stockbroking companies. For some, he is a visionary who knows how to take risks. For others, an ace bluff, disreputable. At the time of the meeting with DSK, Thierry Leyn's

company showed heavy losses, 19 million euros. To avoid bankruptcy... He juggles with some people's money to repay others. A headlong flight. DSK hardly pays any attention to it . He falls under the spell, as he explains during a court hearing. He seemed to me to be an intelligent boy, very seductive and with successful experience in finance. A current of sympathy passed between us. A friendship that they will try to make profitable. October 2013. Leyne's company is renamed LSK. L for Leyne and SK for Strauss-Kahn. The marriage is happy. Thierry Leyne is enthusiastic. Dear Dominique, I

love the idea of ​​having you as a partner! With a confident smile, Dominique makes his comeback. He is finally president, but of LSK. This financial holding company is based in Luxembourg. Around sixty employees spread across five subsidiaries, all located in jurisdictions with low taxes. Switzerland. Belgium. Monaco. Romania and Israel. On the radio, Thierry Leyne details his partner's mission: “Dominique Strauss-Kahn will chair the board of directors, so he is the conductor. It’s a clearly operational role, it’s not at all an honorary role.” And their first business trip, they take it to a surprising place. South Sudan.

This state has only just been created after decades of civil war. A fallow country, one of the poorest in Africa. But then, what did the former director general of the IMF go to this corner of the world to do? NCB partner: The Honorable Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Youyou and cut the ribbon, DSK inaugurates this building under construction. Oh no, it's not a construction site at all, it's the National Credit Bank, the NCB. For the occasion, a small orchestra and two local dignitaries. To attend this party, Dominic Strauss-Kahn received 25,000 euros. At this price, he even plays the

bank's VRP. You need to deposit money so that the bank can give you loans for your investments. According to him, South Sudan is the new Eldorado. He even promotes it. I wouldn't say promotional but I would like to explain to the rest of the world that there are around 10 million people here. There are a lot of natural resources to develop and therefore a lot of business opportunities, so we have to go there. He 's going to go too . With Thierry Leyne, they want to invest 1.3 million euros in the NCB. Good. That still

doesn't tell us why a bank in the middle of the South Sudanese Far West? We are going to find the answer to this question in the French forest, not far from Paris. Mr. Prunier. Hello, thank you. Gérard Prunier is one of the best specialists in South Sudan. And if you doubt it... Am I with you? Yes ! Those are just books about Africa. Oh yes ? Can we light it? Yes of course ! All right. It's only Africa. All right. This is the working library. All right. He mainly did his work on the ground. 30

years traveling the African continent on behalf of the CNRS. DSK in South Sudan, he did not come back. I was stunned. Because it's really... If you have the image of Strauss-Kahn, it's high finance, etc... When you know South Sudan, it's “Tintin in the Congo”. A real shock of cultures, in this rural country, with basic infrastructure. We are in an economy which is what? How would you qualify it? A self-subsistence economy which was roughly that of Africa in 1850. That is to say, there was no electricity, the roads were not paved. What was the banking system

at the time? But there wasn't any. The only banks there were, there were very few. And these were banks that had to be... 50 square meters. I'm not exaggerating. In which there was a safe which dated from before the First World War, which was behind the cashier, and in which we put the notes, then we turned a big key, then we closed it. There were even banks that were also grocery stores, which did a bit of banking on a grocery counter. So we could imagine that we could do almost anything in this type of bank

at that time? Almost everything, so we wonder what Dominique Strauss-Kahn is doing there. Yes, I wonder that too, but as my grandmother said, he had an idea in the back of his head. This little idea? Don't move, Mr. Prunier. We'll explain it to you. If the leaders of LSK are interested in South Sudan, it is not to help the local population, but to seduce the world's wealthy people. Their project? A means of payment that one would think is commonplace. A bank card. Here is the detail of their plan according to internal LSK documents. A prepaid

payment card aimed at high-end international customers. A method of payment without ceiling and discreet. Card in the name LSK-NCB. An anonymous and untraceable card. Which allows you to remain invisible to the tax authorities. We'll explain it to you. A client in Paris has a large sum of money that he is hiding from the tax authorities. He entrusts this money to LSK. LSK transfers it to an account it opened in the National Credit Bank of South Sudan. On this account... The name of the owner of the money is not recorded. In exchange, the National Credit Bank

issues an anonymous bank card that it sends to LSK, which gives it to its customer, who can then withdraw their money whenever they want, and at any ATM around the world, without never be identified. Excited by this project, Dominique Strauss-Kahn wrote to Thierry Leyne. Great! There is a huge market that goes from migrant workers who send money home, to Russian oligarchs who are tired of having their cards blocked when paying for their new conquest's second fur coat, and everyone in between. those who want to buy anonymously on the web. So, with this little idea in

mind, what do you think, Mr. Prunier? We would have had a tropical tax haven in an unexpected place, but it was totally doable. So when we put a bank in the middle of all that... Well, it does what it wants. Ultimately, we could have worked with a ballpoint pen and a school notebook, and then there we go, we say this is in, this is out, we give Mr. so-and-so, such and such a number, then we would have could make up anyone's names. It's like having a big box, it's... Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, we have

a big box and the pirates are around and they put gold in it or take it out at will. Would that have been feasible? Yes. No luck for the Strauss-Kahn and Leyne duo. Seven months after the inauguration of the NCB, the civil war resumes in South Sudan. There were tens of thousands of people murdered in the streets. People shot in their homes. It is quite obvious that prepaid payment cards with the super banking sophistication that goes with them do not belong to the same universe. The director of the Nationale Crédit Banque flees. The LSK map

project falls apart. Back to the fireside. for the rest of our story. A story that is going to get carried away. At the start of 2014, the company chaired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn was on the brink of collapse. Too much debt accumulated. To bail himself out, he prepares another project with Leyne. A huge blow this time. They want to create an international investment fund, the DSK Global Investment Fund. For that, they are looking for 2 billion dollars, a nice sum to find in just a few months. Exhausting their address book, they approach their contacts in all

directions, from business trips to social dinners. To convince, Thierry Leyne is betting everything on the name of DSK, as in this email that he sends to a rich financier. Dear sir, I will not hide from you that Dominique would very much appreciate being able to count you among our new shareholders. Flattering prose. But not a word about the difficulties of society. So, some take the bait. Lawyer Mathieu Croizet accompanies his client, Nicolas Tommasini. It is still a story of long-term fraud. With his real estate company, this entrepreneur invested 500,000 euros in LSK. He then becomes...

Shareholder. Is Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s personality something that also reassures you ? It's not his personality. It’s his interpersonal skills, it’s his ability to raise funds, it’s his ability to surround himself with the best economists. It's his network. To raise 2 billion, it's enormous. At any point, do we talk about the financial state the company is in? So, not at all. We're not masochists either. We fell from a very great height, that is to say we had to learn of LSK's financial difficulties at the beginning of September, whereas we invested in July, and in fact we invested

in a company which was already bankrupt. That is to say that the money we invested was not in the future, it was to absorb past losses. The company that wanted to generate billions of euros is in dire straits. To bring in money, it needs other shareholders. After having toured its professional network, the Leyne Strauss-Kahn company will fall back on small savers. The meeting takes place in Marseille, in a charity gala. Thierry Leyne approaches a retired couple, Alain and Sylvie Urbach. Preferring to remain discreet, these Marseillais asked their lawyer to speak for them. Who are the

Urbach spouses that you represent? Ordinary people who are completely unfamiliar with the world of finance and through their work, they have accumulated a sum which is quite significant since it is €1,140,000. They meet Mr. Leyne, who offers them entry into what was presented as an investment bank, constituted by Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn. And this is how 1,140,000 euros, all the same, passed into LSK's purse. According to the Urbach couple, a decisive phone call would have finally convinced them. Dominique Strauss-Kahn spoke to the Urbach couple on the phone. The couple were reassured to hear the president present

his business bank. The interview was only to say congratulations. Under the spell, the Urbach couple entrusted the leaders of LSK with their life savings. Once they have invested their savings, nothing more happens. That's to say ? That is to say, more news. So the money... The money evaporated and then any attempt at contact was in vain and the spouses found themselves left to their own devices. And here today? Today, they still suffer terribly from what happened because while Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives in silk, they are in poverty and they were forced to borrow to meet their

expenses . are found in need overnight. This frantic quest for capital will be stopped by a tragic event. DSK associate Thierry Leyne dies. On October 23, 2014, in Tel Aviv, his body was found at the foot of this tower. According to investigators, he threw himself from his 23rd floor apartment. This death precipitates the bankruptcy of LSK. A few weeks later, the company was liquidated with a loss of 104 million euros. More than 160 customers are losing money. Only 4 people filed a complaint, including the Marseillais couple, the Urbachs and the entrepreneur Nicolas Tommasini. Why so

few complaints in your opinion? In fact, those who came forward, we will say that perhaps they are those for whom the source of their funds did not pose a problem. So, there are also a few people, and I know this too, who declared their claim and suddenly they realized that by declaring their claim, they were going to find themselves under the yoke of possible prosecution by the tax authorities. After all the investigative elements, we realize that LSK was laundering money. It was a company which participated in the creation of offshore companies and money which escapes

the tax authorities, not only French ones. Among the clients of Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his partner, two strange birds. A crook convicted for the carbon tax scam, Russian oligarchs and big international fortunes. In 2016, a judicial investigation was opened in Paris. An LSK affair for DSK. LSK like Leyne Strauss-Kahn, a Luxembourg investment company in which the former director of the IMF was associated with Thierry Leyne, a Franco-Israeli financier who committed suicide after his bankruptcy. Bankruptcy in which Dominique Strauss-Kahn is accused of fraud and misuse of corporate assets. For the former minister, it is the return of

legal troubles. Heard as an assisted witness, he declared that he saw nothing coming. Small anthology of some of his statements before the investigating judge. I had very little knowledge of the activities of Thierry Leyne's company, which I had no intention of taking care of. It's not my skill. My skills are that of an economist specializing in macroeconomics. I must admit that I did little checking. I probably had exaggerated confidence in what Thierry Leyne said. How would you characterize Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s responsibility? Look, I don't know what he knew, I just know what he didn't do. He

agreed to be chairman of the board of directors of LSK, so he was number one. So he had responsibilities as manager of this company. And if he actually let Thierry Leyne participate in this scam, without trying to find out more, well he is responsible. Shouldn't the use of your name have led you, out of prudence, to undertake prior checks? In retrospect, I probably should have. And when the investigating judge questions him about Marseille retirees? Do you know Mr. Urbach? No, I don't know Mr. Urbach. Do you have anything to add? No. The case is still

under investigation. We contacted Jean Veil, the lawyer who defends Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Here is his response. Thank you for your proposal, which you could not imagine that I would accept, in accordance with our professional rules as a lawyer. However, I am sure that you will find much more informed than me. Happy holidays. Jean Veil. Yeah, well with that, we're not on vacation, eh. After this dark LSK affair, let us now look at the activity that brings in the most for Dominique Strauss-Kahn. advice to government and large companies. Thanks to Pandora Papers, we had access to his

company's account book from 2016 to 2017. We were thus able to reconstruct the galaxy of his clients. A global quota that smells of sulfur and brings millions of euros to DSK. First there is an oligarch in Russia, Igor Sechine, close to Vladimir Putin, boss of Rosneft, an oil giant. He paid 1.75 million euros. Large companies, in Switzerland, SICPA, suspected of corruption by the Swiss justice system, paid 1 million euros. In China, HNA, one of the country's largest conglomerates, now bankrupt, 400,000 euros. And heads of state in Africa. Faure Gnassingbé, the authoritarian president of Togo. And

in Congo-Brasaville, the indestructible Denis Sassou-Nguesso 1,400,000 euros. We found the man who launched DSK in this international consulting business. He's a Frenchman. Wladimir Mollof runs an investment bank. We managed to reach him by phone. Yes, hello Mr.Molof, this is Élise Lucet, France 2, Cash Investigation. Are you doing well ? I believe I know, tell me if I'm wrong or not, that it was in association with you that he began advising governments. Yes ? In Serbia first? And then I think there was the Congo and Tunisia too, right? What exactly does advising a government consist of,

when your name is Dominique Strauss-Kahn? Is it about taxation, about the economy? All right. Compared to the IMF? Is that the experience he may have had? When a government calls on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, it is not, in quotes, only for this knowledge that you also have, His network? And the fees of a Dominique Strauss-Kahn compared to a government, are they very high, a little high, moderately high? Oh yes, all the same! For these handsome sums, DSK is selling the network he built when he was director of the IMF. For four years, he negotiated with all the

heads of state on the planet. It is thanks to this address book that he will become the advisor of the Congo and its sulphurous president, Sassou-Nguesso. Going back up the Congolese trail, we recovered these photos. We see Dominique looking cool. Sunglasses, jeans and shirt. Alongside the President of Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the man in the hat. These photos tell of the proximity of DSK with the master of Brazzaville. They were sent to us by one of our informants. They were taken in 2019 during a tour of the president's ranches. Around him, DSK, Myriam L'Aouffir, DSK's wife,

and Matthieu Pigasse, director of the Lazard Bank at the time, who advises the Congo. The scene takes place in the president's hometown, Oyo. To be invited to Oyo is to enter the Sassou-Nguesso clan. We asked whoever provided us with these photos to decipher them for us. Our source occupies a very high position and knows all the mysteries of the regime. To protect his identity, we called on an actor who repeats his words word for word. Usually, when Dominique arrives or leaves, he arrives in Oyo by Falcon and does not go through Brazzaville. How often does

Dominique Strauss-Kahn come to Oyo? Is it a real presence or not? There was a time when he practically lived there. Oh, really? Oh yes, when he settled in Morocco, he didn't go 15 days without coming to Oyo. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is therefore in perfect love with the President of Congo. An unsavory character. It's back to school. Cash offers you a fast-track history lesson on the Congo. Denis Sassou-Nguesso is one of Africa's oldest leaders. 37 years at the head of the country which earned him a nickname on the continent. His Excellency, Mr. Denis Sassou-Nguesso, whom I affectionately

call the Emperor. I salute the Emperor. We know who the Emperor is. The Emperor reigns unchallenged over the Congo. He has control over the country's main wealth, black gold. The majority of Congolese have never benefited from oil money. The country is plagued by corruption. According to the World Bank, nearly 40% of residents live on less than $2 per day. The regime is regularly accused of the worst abuses, acts of torture, political repression, arbitrary arrests. To bear witness to this, we meet in a café with an investigative journalist who lives in exile in Paris. Ah, there

you go. Hello Ghys. Hello Elise. In Congo, Ghys Fortune Bemba Dombe ran an independent newspaper. We'll stay there if you want. Before your departure for France, it was in October 2018, you were imprisoned for 18 months. Can you tell us about the conditions of your detention? I was in total and complete isolation. I slept on the floor, without electricity, without water, without toilets, without windows. You were locked in a box. Exactly. So, I did all my needs in an uncovered bucket and which I left to empty according to the mood of the... geologist. Could you

go out? In fact, I stayed there 23:50 out of 24 hours locked up. At first, I didn't wear glasses. Today, if I wear glasses, it's because you're locked somewhere where there's complete darkness. I think you are going to suffer a lot of pain. You spent 18 months in these terrible conditions. Was there a trial? Have you been judged? No, there was not a trial. I have been accused of wanting to overthrow the institutions of the Republic. Are you, alone, an investigative journalist, accused of that? Exactly. Are you accused of complicity in undermining the internal security

of the State? Officially. Officially. Unofficially, they must have a reason so far that they never told me. So what is the unofficial reason exactly? The unofficial reason is first of all my editorial line which was annoying or annoying, since until now I have never stopped writing. Because you are a free journalist? That's it, exactly. You were at the head of an independent newspaper for 16 years. Have you ever been pressured? I was the victim of several arrests at the judicial level, at the police level. Were there death threats? Many times, many times. Even today? Until

today, although I am at a distance, but sometimes they go and threaten my family, my parents, and even directly here myself on the phone. Today, in Congo, are there many journalists threatened or even detained? The last journalist who spent six months was released just two weeks ago. It is a police regime that maintains its people until now. And that is Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Of course. When you see today that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is therefore the former director of the IMF, is one of Denis Sassou-Nguesso's advisors and therefore of the Congolese presidency, what do you think? That

doesn't surprise me. And then Dominique Strauss-Kahn doesn't work for nothing. He works for money, for a lot of money. He is in big hotels. It can even take jets. That's a lot of money. Well thank you, dear colleague. Thank you so much. Thank you. Between Congo and DSK, it's a long story. It began in 2007, when the Frenchman was appointed head of the International Monetary Fund. At the time, the Congo asked the IMF for debt relief. For months, negotiations have been slipping. Dominique Strauss-Kahn will unblock the situation. Against the promise of economic reforms, the IMF

offered a huge gift to the Congo in 2010. 1.5 billion euros in debts erased. According to our informant, to benefit from this financial aid, the public accounts would have been disguised. and part of hidden debts. The IMF will make false statements on the debt and on public finances, so that the file passes. And Dominique Strauss-Kahn was aware that we covered up the figures? Obviously he knows about it, since the thing is in the public domain. And that the IMF is not fighting when the IMF should have been banging its fist on the table. to say

what is this thing? How could accounts have been disguised? How could debts have been hidden? A man will find out the hard way. This Frenchman has been fighting for years against the state of Congo. Of his life in Brazzaville, all he has left are these few photos. There, it's a vintage photo, that's it, and then me, a few years earlier. In the 1970s, Serge Berrebi was a successful business leader in the agri-food industry. He even rubs shoulders with Denis Sassou-Nguesso. It's him, a little younger, next to the brand new president. But overnight, his life changes.

I was thrown out, I was ruined, I lost everything. It all started in 1989. The Congolese state expelled Serge Berrebi from his company. The businessman finds himself penniless. He is forced to flee the country. Back in France, Serge Berrebi decides to fight for compensation. He files a complaint. I have benefited from a court decision since November 8, 2000 from the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence which says that indeed, the Congo was ordered to pay me, at the time, it was 4 million euros. Despite the conviction, Congo still does not repay its debt. Serge Berrebi then

forwards his file to the IMF. This is the classic procedure. As this table shows, the IMF recognizes its claim. “Berrebi Judgment Awarded.” In French, “judgment rendered.” That is to say considered definitive. Serge Berrebi is hopeful. His case should be resolved. Final decision. That is to say, there is nothing more to do, you have to pay. Except that his affair will take a completely different turn. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has since become Managing Director of the IMF. Here is the deal that was made with Congo. To obtain debt relief, the country must first resolve its disputes, like that

of Berrebi. Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. That's without counting on a strange sleight of hand. Part of its disputes, hitherto awarded and therefore considered final, will become ongoing, that is to say under examination. The Congo is therefore no longer obliged to reimburse Serge Berrebi. I couldn't believe that the IMF could... produce such a document. Why is the IMF taking off its pants, which is represented by Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who is nonetheless a powerful and strong person. Why is the IMF showing off its pants in front of Mr. M. Sassou-Nguesso? What do you do

when you find out about this? What is your first action vis-à-vis the IMF? I am writing first, personally, to Mr. Strauss-Kahn And of course, I have no answer. Despite reminders from his lawyer, the case is at a standstill. Serge Berrebi has still not been reimbursed. On the other hand, thanks to this little writing game on several disputes, the Congo benefited from 1.5 billion euros in debt relief. Seven years later, here we go again. The country is once again drowning in debt. Sassou-Nguesso again asks the International Monetary Fund for help. And who is piloting? DSK, of

course. But he changed places. The former head of the IMF has become the advisor to the Congolese president. Dominique Strauss-Kahn assured us that he still has numerous relays within the IMF. Sassou wants money from the IMF and Mr. Strauss-Kahn told him: “I will get it for you.” What does Denis Sassou-Nguesso expect from Dominique Strauss-Kahn? What he's waiting for is a display. The mission of DSK would therefore be to give an honorable image of the regime, to make people forget corruption and embezzlement. But what did this advice consist of? He had tables where figures were missing.

And Dominique told us, I don't know the figures for Congo, so it's up to you to fill in and everything. And then you send it back to me. And how does he behave towards the president and senior Congolese officers? He gives lessons. When he speaks, it is to stir up some wind. But everyone applauds. Why are they clapping? Because we have been told that he is an imposed figure, since he is the great magnitou of finance. You are not going to say the opposite. Who does the big boss of finance charge for his economics lessons?

In the account books of Parnasse International for 2017, no trace of Congo, but a name that recurs. Orion. In total, Orion paid 1.5 million euros to DSK. And then you say to yourself, okay, but what is Orion? Orion. A group that likes men in red ties. Women in red heels. And the red speedboat rides. Incidentally, they trade oil in Congo-Brasaville. A company with a sulphurous reputation. She is under Swiss investigation for money laundering and corruption. Orion receives part of the Congolese crude, its mission is to be able to pay cleanly. An oilman who would therefore

pay an advisor on behalf of a president. It's quite a micmac. Come back, Élise. We really need to get answers from Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Despite multiple calls, it rings in vain each time. So we call Nathalie Biderman, his long-time friend, and in a way, his agent. I would like to call you because we are making a documentary for France 2 on the new professional life of Dominique Strauss-Kahn since her departure from the IMF. And we would have liked to interview him, and also interview you about his work as a speaker, and advice to different governments. So

I wanted to know if it was possible? Thank you, Ms. Biderman, that’s very kind, thank you. Bye. Nathalie Biderman came back to us with this concise text message. Thank you for your proposal, but I confirm that we do not wish to pursue it. At this stage of the investigation, we still have one person left to question. Denis Sassou-Nguesso. Did the work of the former director general of the IMF satisfy the president of Congo? Was it worth the million and a half euros paid? We would like to ask these questions to Mr. M. Sassou-Nguesso in person.

Despite our requests, he refuses any official interview. But that's good, our informant from Brazzaville alerts us that the president is visiting Paris for the summit on the financing of African economies. Sassou will arrive at 3 p.m. in Paris. He will be staying at the Bristol. We follow his arrival on the Congolese presidency's Twitter feed. The President of the Republic, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, sets foot on French soil this Monday, May 17, 2021. Our contact even sends us the program of the celebrations. Denis Sassou-Nguesso is due to have dinner with Emmanuel Macron at 8 p.m. We decide to

address it just before the official meeting. Arriving on site, Rue du Palas is blocked and the bikers are on alert. A quick brush on the presidential car, everything must be impeccable. And then on the sidewalk, the Sassou-Nguesso fans. Hmm, the shirt is superb. After a few minutes, the security services questioned our presence. Thank you for the suggestion, but we prefer to wait. The president finally leaves the Bristol. Be careful, stay focused, it's a lightning interview. Mr. President, a question for France 2, please. I wanted to know... Did you use the service of Mr. Strauss-Kahn? Could

you explain to us why? Please ? Just a quick word ? Mr President? There you go, it's already finished. President Sassou-Nguesso is going to dinner at the Elysée, 250 meters away. This is also the end of this story. Until next time, Mr. Strauss-Kahn.