Étienne Léandri (1915–1995) was an intermediary close to Charles Pasqua. He took part in the negotiations concerning many important international contracts, and represented, among others, the interests of Elf, Thomson CSF and Dumez.
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He was the inventor of the "Gazogene", a type of gas producer for automobiles.[1]
Under the Vichy regime, Léandri wore the uniform of the Gestapo.
He was protected by the CIA after the Liberation, and became, along with Pasqua, one of the founders of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique (SAC) in 1958. This organization, charged with underground operations for the Gaullist movement, was dissolved by Socialist President François Mitterrand in 1982 after the Auriol massacre.
During the war, he was a business associate of the American pharmaceutical and perfume manufacturer, E. Virgil Neal, of Tokalon;[2] and, according to some accounts, Léandri had become Director of Tokalon by 1944.[3]
Léandri was involved in various political scandals, such as the Sofremi affair, for which Pasqua has been indicted, and the affair concerning the moving of the headquarters of the GEC-Alsthom Transport firms (for which Pasqua has also been indicted). In 1994 the second affair concerning Alstom generated a commission of 5.2 million Francs (790,000 Euros) paid by Pasqua to Étienne Léandri.[4]