Syrian driver of former French hostages Chesnot and Malbrunot to sue France

A couple of days ago, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly was talking about karma regarding France's riots. Bad karma indeed, when one thinks of the French - ahem - insurgency/resistance/whatever. But I'd tend more to assimilate what's going on right now with a boomerang effect.

Do you remember French hostages in Iraq, journalists Chesnot and Malbrunot? What about their very grateful driver?

Former driver of former hostages Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot is going to sue the French State he accuses of betraying him. According to RTL, he would be asking for 150,000 euros in damages.

Mohamed Al-Jundi, former assistant of the French journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who were kidnapped in Iraq, started a procedure against the French State which, according to him, didn't keep its promises, indicated his lawyer Gilbert Collard. According to RTL, that revealed the information on Monday morning, he would be asking for 150,000 euros in damages. He wants to "obtain damages following the tort he suffered because he had to help the secret services, go back to France and give up everything in Iraq", simply indicated Mr. Collard. Indeed, after his liberation, he had left Iraq in order to help secret services free the two journalists, without compensation, reminded RTL.

Mohamed Al-Jundi, who today lives in a two-room apartment with his wife and three children in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, was the assistant of the two French journalists when the journalists were kidnapped on August 20, 2004 in the south of Baghdad in Iraq. Kidnapped with the two French journalists, Mohamed Al-Jundi had been found on November 11 in Fallujah by American soldiers who had questioned him for several days before freeing him on November 17.

According to Mr. Collard, "they promised him to make him live in decent conditions and as a matter of fact right now he doesn't even have the minimum income guarantee [RMI: "minimum income guaranteed to all individuals over the age of 25 whose income from all sources is below a certain level - currently some EUR 389.05 for a single person"]". "They promised to give him a modest but decent life. He only asks for a HLM and the RMI," added Mr. Collard. The lawyer indicated that the Treasury had been assigned to obtain that the State pay.

Mohamed Al-Jundi had already complained about his financial situation in June. Chesnot and Malbrunot had written to the President of the Republic to mention Al-Jundi's situation. According to Christian Chesnot, who insists he helps him financially, he receives "430 euros each month", in part thanks to the organization France Terre d'Asile, which gives him 200 euros every 15 days. Jean-Baptiste Mattei, a spokesman for the Foreign Affairs ministry, had then indicated that the assistant of the two French journalists had obtained quite rapidly the status of political refugee, as well as a financial aid.

Looks like the guy is fond of trials. And apparently, contrary to the French insurgency, he would consider living in a HLM as a decent situation. I'm not sure using the 150,000 euros to buy a car would be such a good idea though.

Seriously, this French hostage drama has already cost the French taxpayers several million euros and it may not stop just now. Hopefully our insurgents won't get the "jackpot" idea of kidnapping journalists.