French President Emmanuel Macron has been caught on video giving a suspected South African fraudster, who was previously involved with attempts to discredit a leading Brexiteer, VIP entertainment at the Rugby World Cup final.
Mr Macron can be seen in this video walking and talking with businessman Chris Kimber, who is currently on bail and facing allegations of around 150 million Rand (about £6.5million) of fraud.
Kimber, wearing a South African scarf, appears to be a guest of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also in the video.
In 2018 Kimber was the “star witness” in a Channel 4 documentary making allegations against businessman Arron Banks linking him to a diamond mine in South Africa and alleging he had attempted to bribe the police.
The allegations were part of a series including claims of Russian collusion aimed at apparently trying to discredit Mr Banks who had founded the pro-Brexit Leave.EU campaign group.
You can see the video here
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Mr Banks, who is close to Nigel Farage, also would go on to meet Donald Trump after he became US President.
The allegations have now been reversed on Kimber with the legal case claiming he defrauded Banks over mines in North Cape.
Mr Banks has expressed shock that Kimber, who is due to appear in court on alleged fraud allegations, was able to get so close to the French and South African Presidents.
He told the Sunday Express: “I can’t quite believe the video I have been shown.
“Chris Kimber has been arrested and charged over a R150 million fraud and is currently on bail, awaiting trial.
“The video shows him at the rugby World Cup with the South African and French president as an honoured guest.”
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Mr Banks pointed out that just a week before Rhamposa had appeared at a conference in the UK vowing to crackdown on corruption in his country in a bid to promote foreign investment.
He said: “Mr Rhamposa, the week before was attending a conference in the UK promoting overseas foreign investment and promising a crackdown on corruption. This takes the biscuit.
“I have no idea why Mr Kimber is so close to the South African President, why he introduced him to Mr Macron, but if he has donated funds to the ANC, I’ll be looking to recover that money given it may well be the ‘proceeds of crime’ from defrauding me!
“Mr Rhamposa has some serious questions to answer in this matter!”
In a social media post on Mr Kimber’s legal problems, Mr Banks said: “Interesting to note that Chris Kimber who was channel 4’s star witness on one of their crazy conspiracy stories about diamond mines and me, has been arrested for fraud in South Africa after we filed a case against him.
“All the allegations were false, but they ran a story based on his word.”
At the time Channel 4 alleged “extraordinary new documents handed to police in South Africa – broadcast tonight on Channel 4 News – provide further allegations of his attempts to do business in Russia by trying to raise funds from Alrosa, the Russian state-owned diamond company.”
The allegations were linked to the ones involving Russian collusion which saw Banks sue Guardian journalist Carol Cadwalladhr.
She has since had to pay Banks £35,000 in damages and 60 percent of his legal costs amounting to millions.
The Express.co.uk has the South African government for comment but received no response from either of them.
However, an official source from the French government told Express.co.uk: “The French authorities are not responsible for the composition of the South African delegation who was present at the Rugby World Cup final.”
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