Latest news with #Pardo
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu's ICC lawyer denounces Hezbollah assassination plot against him in France
French authorities opened an investigation following suspicions of a plot to assassinate French lawyer Olivier Pardo, who represents Netanyahu at the ICC. French authorities opened an investigation following suspicions of a plot to assassinate French lawyer Olivier Pardo, who represents Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the International Criminal Court, Le Parisien reported on Monday. The investigation started after Pardo told the authorities about a meeting he had with 47-year-old Ruddy Terranova, a former convict who had spent 14 years in prison for criminal activities and later adopted radical Islam, who told him about the plot. According to Terranova, Hezbollah operatives approached him while he was in Senegal and asked him to take out Pardo when he turned back to France. He rejected the proposition and arranged the meeting to warn the lawyer about the plot. The report also highlighted that Terranova warned Pardo that the reason behind the Hezbollah assassination plot was the fact that he was representing Netanyahu at the ICC, and that there was a real possibility that someone else would try to assassinate him. After the meeting, which lasted around an hour and a half, Pardo reported the incident to the French Police, who opened an investigation and estimated that the plot was most likely real. Hezbollah plans to assassinate Netanyahu's lawyer The report cites three reasons for the veracity of the plot: Terranova's complex background, the fact that he didn't threaten or demand any compensation for the information, and the similarity it would have with other cases centered around the Lebanese terrorist organization. Terranova was also arrested for questioning, while an official legal investigation was opened under the supervision of an investigating judge and the Anti-Terrorism Unit, with the aim of identifying possible masterminds if they exist. Pardo, who has had high-level clients before, is facing an assassination plot for the first time. 'I understand that it is part of the job,' he told the French paper.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
French probe Netanyahu lawyer's murder contract claims
French authorities opened an investigation after a lawyer for Benjamin Netanyahu said there was a contract on his head for defending the Israeli leader, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Monday. Olivier Pardo told investigators a former convict, Rudy Terranova, told him on July 16 that he had been approached to carry out a hit on the lawyer, a source close to the case said, confirming a report in the newspaper Le Parisien. Terranova said he was approached to carry out the job while on a trip to Senegal by members of Lebanon's Hezbollah, a key ally of Israel's arch-foe Iran. He said the militants targeted Pardo because of his work for Netanyahu, who has been the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) since November 2024, accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes over Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Pardo told AFP he was "calm, it's one of the risks of my job when you defend causes which have sparked debate in France." "I am confident that the judiciary will determine whether this is a real or a phantom menace," said the lawyer, who counts prominent French politicians, including the far-right figure Eric Zemmour, among his other clients. According to Le Parisien, Terranova was taken into custody in the week beginning on July 21 in connection with the case, though AFP was not able to confirm this. A former gang member, Terranova was convicted in 2004 of violence considered to be motivated by Islamist radicalism. He served as a police informant and was later suspected of being behind an attempt in 2007 to murder another lawyer, Karim Achoui. He was acquitted of that charge.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
French probe Netanyahu lawyer's murder contract claims
PARIS: French authorities have launched an investigation after Olivier Pardo, a lawyer representing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claimed there was a contract on his life. The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the probe on Monday following Pardo's allegations. A source close to the case revealed that Pardo informed investigators that Rudy Terranova, a former convict, had told him on July 16 about being approached to assassinate the lawyer. The information was first reported by French newspaper Le Parisien. Terranova allegedly stated that members of Lebanon's Hezbollah, a key ally of Iran, had contacted him during a trip to Senegal to carry out the hit. The militants reportedly targeted Pardo due to his legal defense of Netanyahu, who has faced an ICC arrest warrant since November 2024 over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Pardo told AFP he remained calm, acknowledging that defending controversial figures comes with risks. 'I am confident that the judiciary will determine whether this is a real or a phantom menace,' he said. The lawyer also represents high-profile French politicians, including far-right leader Eric Zemmour. Le Parisien reported that Terranova was taken into custody in late July, though AFP could not independently verify this. Terranova, a former gang member, was convicted in 2004 for violence linked to Islamist radicalism. He later worked as a police informant but was suspected of involvement in a 2007 murder attempt on another lawyer, Karim Achoui, though he was acquitted. - AFP
New Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Texas Floods: Viola Davis, Ariana DeBose, Anjali Menon and more salute Mexican president for rescue effort
Actors, artists, and filmmakers from around the world are honouring Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo for her decision to send rescue personnel to help Texas flood victims. Actor Viola Davis led the way in saluting Pardo; she shared a post featuring Pardo's endeavour on her Instagram Stories and wrote, 'Much respect Madam President,' besides posting a Mexican flag as well as clap and love emoticons. Singer-actor Ariana DeBose shared Davis' Instagram Story, thereby endorsing her views on the matter. Filmmaker Anjali Menon shared the original post lauding Pardo for the decision. Actor-writer-producer Gretza Merced Cruz liked the post, as did some digital content creators. Mexico's decision is getting plenty of appreciation for the humanitarian values it propagates, especially in view of the long-standing tensions between the country and the USA. Under President Donald Trump, the USA has been adopting strict policies against immigrants from Mexico. The post that Davis and DeBose shared called the policies 'anti-immigrant' and called out hatred and 'racism toward brown people'. Earlier this month, actors from Texas, led by Matthew McConaughey, rallied for financial support for those affected by the calamity.
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Florida Condo Reform Could Open 'Floodgates' of Litigation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Florida condominium law reform, which took effect on July 1 after being signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis, could open the "floodgates" for litigation and audits that had previously been impossible to pursue, a local attorney told Newsweek. The legislation, HB 913, was introduced to provide immediate relief to condo associations and owners struggling with rising fees resulting from new safety requirements introduced in the wake of the Surfside collapse in 2021. However, it also aimed to create more transparency in processes that have, until now, been murky and difficult to navigate for many condo owners, as has been the case with the setting of fees paid by those living in condo-hotels. More Transparency for Florida Condo-Hotels Condo-hotels are properties where individual units are privately owned, but the entire building is operated as a hotel, a common setup in Florida, especially along the coast. This type of arrangement offers several benefits to owners, including the opportunity to live in a luxurious vacation property while paying a more affordable price and potentially making a profitable investment. However, it is also plagued by problems, including limited control owners have over the building's management and the financial burden of paying common area fees. Luxury hotels and apartment buildings in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, as seen on March 8, 2022. Luxury hotels and apartment buildings in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, as seen on March 8, 2022. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images The new law aims to increase transparency in the management of condo-hotels, requiring financial reports on the cost of maintaining shared areas to be provided to condo owners within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year. Crucially, it has introduced changes that, according to Stevan J. Pardo, founding partner at Pardo Jackson Gainsburg & Shelowitz and a leading authority on Florida construction and corporate hospitality law, "may represent the only opportunity for many condo associations, particularly those in mixed-use hotel/condo projects, to revisit years of potentially improper shared facility assessments." A Looming Explosion Of Litigation The new law provides a clear statutory basis for unit owners to seek accountability from developers and hotel operators who have historically retained disproportionate control over shared expenses, according to Pardo. "Associations can now seek declaration of their condo unit owner rights and seek damages for over-assessments caused by these unlawful structures," Pardo told Newsweek. Under HB 913, condo associations now have a three-year statute of limitations from the effective date to bring claims related to financial overcharges and the improper classification of common elements. Failure to act within this window could permanently bar associations from asserting their rights or recovering unlawful assessments. These new requirements, including this relatively tight deadline, could trigger an explosion of litigation across the state as condo associations begin to reassess governing documents, assessment structures, and recorded declarations, Pardo said. "We do expect the floodgates to open now that the governor has signed HB 913 and allowed associations and its members to once again sue developers/hotel owners who control all of the common areas of condominium properties and who unlawfully assess unit owners," he said.
