Gérard Royal

Gérard Royalis a former agent of theFrench intelligence agency Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure(DGSE- "General Directorate of External Security" ), who is accused of being one of those responsible for the bombing of theGreenpeaceshipRainbow Warrior.^[1]A long serving officer, who retired from theFrench Armywith the rank of Colonel, Royal works in an "economic intelligence business". He is the brother of former Frenchpresidential candidate Ségolène Royal.

In 1985, Royal was a member of the DGSE implicated in thesinking of theRainbow Warrior.Since 1995, it had been public knowledge that Royal was one of the team of saboteurs.^{[citation needed]}In September 2006, as his sister Ségolène became a candidate for the presidency, Gérard returned to media attention when his brother Antoine toldLe Parisienthat he had admitted to being the man who planted the bombs which killedFernando Pereira.

Le Parisienquoted Antoine as saying "...he was called upon in 1985 to go toNew Zealand,toAucklandHarbour, to sabotage theRainbow Warrior.Later, he told me that it was him who planted the bomb on theGreenpeaceship ". Some French media, however, citing sources within the DGSE, have stated that Royal was merely the pilot of the inflatable boat carrying the bombers. Royal has refused to confirm or deny that he planted the bombs, but made a statement complaining of" harassment by the media ".^{[page needed]}

Pereira's daughter andGreenpeaceboth called for theNew Zealand governmentto demand theextraditionof Royal to stand trial for the murder. But the government made it clear that they considered the case as closed.

References

^"New Zealand Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior bomber apologises".bbc.6 September 2015.Retrieved6 September2015.One of the men on his team was Gerard Royal, the brother of the currentFrench environment ministerand former presidential candidateSegolene Royal.

External links

[1] "New Zealand Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior bomber apologises".bbc.6 September 2015.Retrieved6 September2015.One of the men on his team was Gerard Royal, the brother of the currentFrench environment ministerand former presidential candidateSegolene Royal.

[1]