In France, it is against the law for voters to give more than 7500 euros per year to political parties, or to exceed more than 4600 euros per year to individual candidates; any donations above 150 euros must be paid by check. To this American, these laws seem overly restrictive and trivial, but those are the rules in France and everyone must abide by them (even though it is hard to believe that anybody actually does).
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing allegations today that he has not abided by them. To wit, 88 year old L'Oreal cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the richest woman in France, is alleged to have given Mr. Sarkozy large amounts of funds in well-stuffed envelopes throughout his political career. These allegations have been simmering since July when they were first aired by Mrs. Bettencourt's former accountant, Claire Thibout, who quickly retracted the claim, and then stated that she had been pressured to do so by French police. Mr. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing.
The heat has been turned up a notch by the publication of a book in France by two writers from Le Monde, "Sarko m'a tuer" or "Sarko Killed Me". This cites a second hand account from Isabelle Prevost-Desprez, a magistrate who investigated Mrs. Bettencourt on another matter , who states that Mrs.Bettencourt's nurse, after an interview with her, let slip to her stenographer that she had witnessed cash payouts to Mr. Sarkozy. Following all this? Monsieur President, of course, has issued a categorical denial. Keep an eye on this one, because the French presidential election is gearing up in earnest and it is likely to dog Mr. Sarkozy all the way, if it doesn't actually bring him down. The timing is suspect, the information is second hand, but it cannot be easily dismissed, fair or not.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy is facing allegations today that he has not abided by them. To wit, 88 year old L'Oreal cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the richest woman in France, is alleged to have given Mr. Sarkozy large amounts of funds in well-stuffed envelopes throughout his political career. These allegations have been simmering since July when they were first aired by Mrs. Bettencourt's former accountant, Claire Thibout, who quickly retracted the claim, and then stated that she had been pressured to do so by French police. Mr. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing.
The heat has been turned up a notch by the publication of a book in France by two writers from Le Monde, "Sarko m'a tuer" or "Sarko Killed Me". This cites a second hand account from Isabelle Prevost-Desprez, a magistrate who investigated Mrs. Bettencourt on another matter , who states that Mrs.Bettencourt's nurse, after an interview with her, let slip to her stenographer that she had witnessed cash payouts to Mr. Sarkozy. Following all this? Monsieur President, of course, has issued a categorical denial. Keep an eye on this one, because the French presidential election is gearing up in earnest and it is likely to dog Mr. Sarkozy all the way, if it doesn't actually bring him down. The timing is suspect, the information is second hand, but it cannot be easily dismissed, fair or not.
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| French President Nicolas Sarkozy |
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