Here’s a late twist to the story of Gilbert Bourgeaud (aka Bob Denard), the infamous mercenary: apparently his lawyer argued in French court that Denard simply was acting on behalf of the government to destabilize foreign nations including the Comoros. The French authorities have rejected his claims and ruled that Denard should get a five-year suspended sentence. The BBC describes him thus:

Bob Denard, 77, contributed to bloody conflicts across Africa for nearly 40 years, but the French mercenary is best known for his interventions in the Comoros Islands, one of which has led to his conviction in a French court.

He once described himself as “a soldier never an assassin”, and has claimed he was acting in the interests of France or other European powers, though he was once accused of plotting to assassinate a French prime minister.

So, to recap, Denard led a sucessful military coup against Ahmed Abdallah in 1975 (after the islands declared independence from France). Denard then led another coup in 1978, this time installing Abdallah as President. In 1989 President Abdallah was killed by Denard’s men, but Denard avoided any charges in French court for wrongdoing. Then in 1995 Denard staged another coup in the Comoros, which “failed” when the French army moved in to “restore order”…and so Denard, a free man, settled in Paris to await sentencing for what he described as serving French interests.

Imagine trying to keep information secure when you never really know who you work for and who will be next in power or what they will declare right and wrong. Non-repudiation and plausible deniability is an important factor in these international webs of intrigue.

In slightly related news, an intelligence officer turned General (now retired) has continued to argue that he was not only ordered by the French Government to torture Algerians, but that it is the right thing to do in times of conflict:

The Paris appeals court confirmed that General Paul Aussaresses, 84, must pay a fine of 7,500 euros ($8,300) – the punishment handed down by a criminal court in January last year.

Aussaresses admitted torturing and killing 24 Algerian prisoners-of-war in a book he published in 2001 about the conflict.

[…]

Aussaresses said Friday’s ruling was “stupid”. He added that he had “neither remorse nor regrets” and would appeal to France’s highest criminal court.