Kiev Communard
9th September 2010, 11:29
French financial police have searched the main offices of President Nicolas Sarkozy's party over the inquiry into the L'Oreal scandal, reports say.
The probe is looking into claims L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt made illegal donations to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign.
It is the first time Mr Sarkozy's party has been openly investigated over the allegations, correspondents say.
The claims arose from secret recordings made by a former butler of the heiress.
Nothing was removed from the offices of the UMP party during the search which was made on Wednesday, party director Eric Cesari told French weekly magazine Paris Match.
The search was made at the request of prosecutor Philippe Courroye, the main prosecutor in the L'Oreal scandal.
During taped conversations, which were leaked to the French press, Mrs Bettencourt, France's richest woman, and her financial adviser also allegedly discussed means of escaping French taxes.
The donations to the UMP are alleged to have exceeded the legal limit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11242869
This shows quite profoundly the inherently hypocritic and demagogic character of Sarkozy's "tough-on-crime" posturing. He was involved in the act of corruption and yet presents himself as "a supporter of civic order", accusing Roma and Afro-French of "leading criminal lifestyle". Now that's hypocrisy of 1st class!
The probe is looking into claims L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt made illegal donations to Mr Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign.
It is the first time Mr Sarkozy's party has been openly investigated over the allegations, correspondents say.
The claims arose from secret recordings made by a former butler of the heiress.
Nothing was removed from the offices of the UMP party during the search which was made on Wednesday, party director Eric Cesari told French weekly magazine Paris Match.
The search was made at the request of prosecutor Philippe Courroye, the main prosecutor in the L'Oreal scandal.
During taped conversations, which were leaked to the French press, Mrs Bettencourt, France's richest woman, and her financial adviser also allegedly discussed means of escaping French taxes.
The donations to the UMP are alleged to have exceeded the legal limit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11242869
This shows quite profoundly the inherently hypocritic and demagogic character of Sarkozy's "tough-on-crime" posturing. He was involved in the act of corruption and yet presents himself as "a supporter of civic order", accusing Roma and Afro-French of "leading criminal lifestyle". Now that's hypocrisy of 1st class!