PARIS, March 16, 2010 (AFP) - A Djibouti businessman and opposition figure filed a civil complaint in Paris against President Ismael Omar Guelleh for crimes including murder and extortion, he and his lawyer said Tuesday.
    Abdourahman Boreh, who has headed infrastructure and public works companies in Djibouti, accused the president and his wife Odette Haid of murder, kidnapping, torture, acts of barbarism and extortion.
    According to Boreh's lawyer Olivier Morice, the Franco-Djibouti businessman "has been the target of threats and intimidation by Djibouti authorities, which forced him to flee Djibouti in autumn 2008."
    At first the attacks targeted his assets but later they also included business associates and family members, two of whom died in suspect circumstances, Morice said.
    "The actions of the Djibouti authorities can be explained by the role that the presidential couple fears Boreh could play in the next presidential election that must be held in 2011," Morice said.
    "I've lost more than 30 million dollars (22 million euros) and I no longer have any commercial activities in Djibouti. I had to close down everything," Boreh told AFP.