As I used to say “Victory for the people! In the meantime, we must hope that all this is not a ruse to disorient the case towards a judge who is even more conciliatory with respect to power.
PARIS (Reuters) - A judicial investigation against "X" qualifying the suspicions weighing on the UMP and Eric Woerth of "traffic of influence" and "illegal financing of political party" is open concerning the heiress of L'Oreal Liliane Bettencourt .
The prosecutor of Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) Philippe Courroye obeyed the order of his superior by opening this procedure which he had refused for six months. The presidency of the court has appointed three independent investigating judges, who will have more investigative powers than the prosecution.
For the first time, the suspicions weighing on the Minister of Labor Eric Woerth, the heiress of L'Oréal and her entourage are legally qualified, which does not mean that the facts are proven, but which specifies the nature of the affair.
The "traffic of influence by a person invested with an elective mandate" concerns the episode where the police established that Eric Woerth had intervened to obtain the Legion of Honor for Patrice de Maistre, wealth manager of Liliane Bettencourt and awarded him the decoration in 2008.
Previously, Patrice de Maistre had hired Florence Woerth at the end of 2007 for 200.000 euros a year and Patrice de Maistre provided for the legal financing of the UMP with the money of Liliane Bettencourt, the police established. Eric Woerth was then budget minister and treasurer of the UMP.
In addition, the qualification of "illicit financing of political party or electoral campaign" is retained concerning the allegations of the ex-accountant of Liliane Bettencourt, Claire Thibout, who spoke of a discount of 100.000 euros in cash to Eric Woerth for Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential campaign in 2007.
TAX EVASION TARGETED
The prosecution also retains the qualification of "fraud" to the detriment of Liliane Bettencourt concerning various uses of her fortune by her entourage, the "laundering" concerning tax evasion, in particular the holding of bank accounts in Switzerland and the island of Arros , in the Seychelles.
All other proven or supposed facts are included within the scope of this very important file.
There is thus "the invasion of the privacy of the billionaire's private life" committed when it was recorded without her knowledge by an employee, the alleged offense of publication by the press of these conversations, the "slanderous denunciation " which Eric Woerth attributes to Claire Thibout.
The psychological "violence", the "scams" and the "breach of trust" that the billionaire would have suffered from part of her entourage are also retained.
The information will also relate to suspicions of misuse of corporate assets at Patrice de Maistre's company, Clymène.
The public prosecutor's office of Versailles has already announced that it would request the "change of scenery", the transfer to another jurisdiction, of this procedure. As soon as it is officially seized, the Court of Cassation will have eight days to rule.
Will also be requested the change of scenery of the procedure for "abuse of weakness" instructed separately by the president of the court of Nanterre Isabelle Prévost-Desprez.
Philippe Courroye defended his work on Friday and in an interview with Le Figaro, assuring that if he had been left with the files, he would have completed the procedures at the end of November.
Bitter at being divested, he speaks of a "model" investigation and lists the 37 searches and transports carried out, the 950 reports of hearings and findings made.
Speaking of "fantasies", the magistrate disputed any political orientation, despite the bonds of friendship with Nicolas Sarkozy, which he never hid. “I have no political options and I have never belonged to any party.”
Me Olivier Metzner, lawyer for Françoise Meyers, daughter of Liliane Bettencourt, welcomed the prosecutor's withdrawal. "Mr. Courroye shows that when justice is put in the hands of the prosecution, there are serious dangers for democracy," he said on LCI.
Edited by Patrick Vignal
by Thierry Lévêque
source: Reuters
Further information :
Rue89.com: Bettencourt: Courroye disembarked, why was he a problem?
France-Info (Audio): Bettencourt: Courroye leaves the hand to the investigating judges and defends his work
Progress : Bettencourt affair: Courroye obeys his hierarchy
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