Financial

Intelligence
Unit
MINISTRY OF ECONOMY,
FINANCE
AND INDUSTRY
P 01 333 92006

Processing of intelligence and action against clandestine

financial circuits
INCOMING MAIL
28 NOV.2001

27 November 2001

FINANCIAL SECTION

The Secretary-General of FIU

To
The Prosecutor representing the State Prosecutor at
The Court of First Instance
SUBJECT: Information on acts that could possibly constitute criminal
offences
Case: ATAR
In accordance with the provisions of Articles L.562.4 and L.563.5 of the
Currency and Finance Code, please find attached the information I have gathered on
the above-noted case.

Signed

INFORMATION NOTE
I - PERSONS CONCERNED
Mr. ATAR John or FOGHA Namo
Born on........... 1945 in Sumarie
Resident
Occupation: Senator of the Republic of Sumarie, former Minister of Petroleum
Mr. RAYBAU Christian
Holder of residents permit no. ........... valid until...............................
Declared occupation: Mr. ATARs driver
Mr. AVENUE David
Holder of French passport no. .............
II PRESUMPTION OF LAUNDERING OF FUNDS DERIVED FROM THE
ACTIVITY OF A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION
Following the receipt of information by the FIU under the provisions of the
Currency and Finance Code, investigations carried out by FIU services revealed the
following:
Funds were transferred to a French bank1 from the account of a company in
Gibraltar for the benefit of Mr. John ATAR the former Minister of Petroleum of
Sumarie under the government of Mr. COLONEL.
The transfer amounts identified by the FIU total more than 40 million francs
between July 1999 and May 2000. The funds were withdrawn either by Mr. ATAR or
by Mr. RAYBAU, who was reportedly the Mr. ATARs driver, or Mr. AVENUE, reportedly
a close associate.
The strategic post occupied by Mr. ATAR when Mr. COLONEL was in power
might suggest a connection between these sums and the on-going inquiries under
way concerning large-scale embezzlement of funds during this period.

Banque Prive.

III PRESENTATION OF THE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

1. Transfers of funds for Mr. ATAR
In the case of all the transfers, the originator of the order was a company called
PIGEON AVIATION, holder of an account with CCI in Gibraltar.
Date
05.10.1999
12.10.1999
13.10.1999
03.11.1999
10.11.1999
11.11.1999
23.11.1999
25.11.1999
02.12.1999
02.12.1999
17.12.1999
20.12.1999
07.01.2000
12.01.2000
13.01.2000
19.01.2000
20.01.2000
27.01.2000
28.01.2000
11.02.2000
11.02.2000
17.02.2000
18.02.2000
01.03.2000
03.03.2000
07.03.2000
08.03.2000
03.04.2000
17.05.2000
18.05.2000
TOTAL

Recipient
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR
J. ATAR or D. AVENUE
J. ATAR or D. AVENUE
J. ATAR or D. AVENUE
J. ATAR or D. AVENUE
J. ATAR or D. AVENUE
J. ATAR (check payable to
Mr. BRIT)
Mr. ATAR or Mr. AVENUE
Mr. ATAR or Mr. AVENUE
Mr. ATAR or Mr. AVENUE
Mr. ATAR
Mr. ATAR

Amount
350 000.00 FRF
100 000.00 USD
400 000.00 FRF
350 000.00 FRF
150 000.00 USD
500 000.00 FRF
50 000.00 USD
250 000.00 FRF
50 000.00 USD
300 000.00 FRF
99 970.00 USD
300 000.00 FRF
500 000.00 FRF
49 975.00 USD
250 000.00 FRF
49 975.00 USD
300 000.00 (sic)
49 975.00 USD
150 000.00 FRF
300 000.00 FRF
50 000.00 USD
50 000.00 USD
150 000.00 FRF
400 000.00 FRF
1 099 088.81 EUR

50 000.00 USD
679 379.63 FRF
300 000.00 FRF
99 925.11 USD
2 877 000.00 FRF
8 356 379.63 FRF
849 820.11 USD
1 099 088.81 EUR
The funds made available to Mr. ATAR total approximately 22 million francs.

2. Transfer of funds for Mr. AVENUE

Date
11.02.2000
14.02.2000
17.02.2000
29.02.2000
01.03.2000
04.04.2000
TOTAL

Recipient
D. AVENUE
Mr. AVENUE
Mr. AVENUE
Mr. AVENUE
MAD ATAR
MAD AVENUE

Amount
299 250.00 FRF
49 500.00 USD
49 500.00 USD
150 000.00 FRF
398 860.00 FRF
300 000.00 FRF
1 148 110.00 FRF
99 000.00 USD

The funds made available to Mr. AVENUE total nearly 2 million francs.
3. Transfer of funds for Mr. RAYBAU
Date
29.07.1999
06.08.1999
10.08.1999
14.09.1999
25.08.1999
30.08.1999
30.08.1999
02.09.1999
02.09..1999
14.09.1999
22.09.1999
24.09.1999
TOTAL

Recipient
Mr. RAYBAU Christian
Mr. RAYBAU Christian
RAYBAU Christian
RAYBAU
Mr. RAYBAU Christian
RAYBAU
RAYBAU
RAYBAU
RAYBAU
RAYBAU
RAYBAU Christian
RAYBAU Christian

Amount
200 000.00 FRF
300 000.00 FRF
100 000.00 USD
300 000.00 FRF
300 000.00 FRF
50 000.00 USD
300 000.00 FRF
100 000.00 USD
350 000.00 FRF
100 000.00 FRF
15 000.00 FRF
85 000.00 FRF
1 950 000.00 FRF
250 000.00 USD

The funds made available to Mr. RAYBAU total nearly 4 million francs.
In addition, a check payable to Etude LE BRIT, associated notaries, in the amount of
12,790,071.00 FRF was given over following a transfer advice for Mr. RAYBAU. The
funds came from CCI in Geneva.

The monies received by Mr. ATAR and his associates thus totaled more than 40
million francs according to the information provided to the FIU.

IV OTHER INFORMATION

International commercial databases show three companies whose names include

the word PIGEON. Two are based in Flatland (PIGEON BV, registration no. ..... and
PIGEON BVBA, registration no. ....); the third is one registered in Mamlok (PIGEON
AS, registration no. .....).

Mr. John ATAR used a second identity, that of Namo FOGHA (born on .......)
Under this identity, he appears as manager of SCI du Avenue de la Tour (registered
on.......RCS2...........) and SCI Victoire (registered on...........RCS...........), and SCI
registered on 35 Avenue dOr (registered on RCS ..). At the same
address is located the company SARL Light. It appears that this company received
funds transferred by Pigeon Aviation in Gibraltar.

These complementary investigations establish that criminal offences may

have been committed by Mr. ATAR and his associates, in particular by laundering
the proceeds of a criminal organization.

Translators note: RCS stands for Registre du Commerce et des Socits (Business
Register).