The leader of the presidential election race in France, former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, denied allegations that he allegedly promised current President Jacques Chirac protectionfrom criminal prosecution. Sarkozy called such allegations “grotesque, offensive and untrue.” The French satirical weekly Canard Enchen reported that Nicolas Sarkozy has made a deal with the current owner of the Elysee Palace. Jacques Chirac was supposed to support the candidacy of the former Minister of the Interior in the presidential elections (which he did), and he, in turn, promised him immunity from prosecution if elected president. According to the latest polls, 29.5% of voters are going to vote for Nicolas Sarkozy in the presidential elections on April 22.
Sarkozy and Chirac represent the ruling Union for a Popular Movement party. The President's Office also denied Canary Island's claims, calling them "completely baseless." According to French law, the immunity of the head of state ends at the moment of resignation. Representatives of the French judicial authorities have already stated that they would like to ask Jacques Chirac questions about the illegal party funds that he could manage when he was mayor of Paris in 1977-1995.
Petr ISKENDEROV
Election grotesquerie in France • Vremya novostej • RIMA — Russian Independent Media Archive
