Nicolas Sarkozy

Britain arrests French suspect in Sarkozy financing probe

London - Muslimchronicle

British police have detained a French businessman as part of a long-running investigation into suspected Libyan financing of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign, officials said on Monday. Alexandre Djouhri, the subject of a European arrest warrant, was apprehended at Heathrow Airport on Sunday and remanded in custody after a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. A spokesman for London'sRead more

Ex-French minister Dati wants tough action

Paris - Muslimchronicle

With the issue in the headlines after a string of allegations against disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein going back decades, Dati demanded political efforts targeting "men in power" who she said should face "really heavy" punishment. "This story (concerning Weinstein), shows as ever how the elites protect their own backs," she told France's BFMTV. "We criticise those in the suburbsRead more

Lagarde grilled over ‘colossal’ payout in French trial

Paris - Arab today

IMF boss Christine Lagarde faced a grilling on the second day of her trial on Tuesday over the “colossal” damages authorised for a French tycoon while she was French finance minister. Presiding judge Martine Ract Madoux forced the head of the International Monetary Fund on the defensive as she questioned why 45 million euros ($48 million) had been paid toRead more

Former President Sarkozy seeks meeting with Fillon and Juppe

Paris - Arab Today

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Monday for a meeting with Francois Fillon and another senior conservative figure, Alain Juppe, in a bid to hammer out a solution to the crisis facing Fillon's presidential election campaign. Sarkozy said on his Twitter feed that the aim of the meeting was to ensure a "dignified and credible way out from aRead more

Voters are deserting, rebel tells Fillon

Paris - Arab Today

Scandal-hit French presidential candidate Francois Fillon came under renewed attack from within his own conservative camp on Wednesday as he sought to hold his campaign together through talks with ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy. Rebel conservative lawmaker Georges Fenech said voters were deserting their party, The Republicans, and it faced defeat in the April-May election unless it ditched Fillon. Fenech has been oneRead more

Magistrate orders French ex-president Sarkozy to stand trial

Paris - Arab Today

A magistrate has ordered former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial over irregularities in the funding of his failed 2012 re-election bid, a judicial source said on Tuesday. The charge against Sarkozy, who led France for five years from 2007, exposes the 62-year old conservative politician to a one-year prison sentence if convicted. Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog described theRead more

Ex French President Sarkozy to stand trial over campaign

Paris - Arab Today

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will stand trial over allegations of illegally financing his failed 2012 re-election bid, a judicial source said on Tuesday. The source added that 13 others would also face trial over the so-called 'Bygmalion Affair', which has involved charges of spending overruns and funding irregularities. The decision to put Sarkozy on trial comes as French politiciansRead more

Morocco Receives Carriage of High-Speed Train

Rabat - Arab Today

Morocco has received a carriage for the French-made high-speed train, known better as TGV at the Port Tangier Med, reported CNN on Wednesday. The TGV in Morocco will be the first one to operate in Africa. It will connect Tangier to Kenitra in only 1 hour and 30 minutes. In the future, the TGV will link Tangier to CasablancaRead more

Polls open in France in presidential premier elections

Paris - Arab Today

Polls across France opened on Sunday at 8 am (Paris local time) in the second round of presidential premier elections as voters will choose their center-right presidential candidate in next year's election, France 24 reported. It is the party's first such primary vote, modelled on the US system. Voters in France are choosing between Francois Fillon and Alain Juppe toRead more

Fillon races to the front in French rightwing primary

Paris - Arab Today

The surprise winner of the first round of France’s rightwing presidential primary, conservative ex-premier Francois Fillon, was the runaway favorite Monday to win the contest expected to decide France’s next leader. Fillon, an admirer of Margaret Thatcher who has pledged deep economic reforms, pulled off a stunning upset Sunday, surging from behind to knock his former boss Nicolas Sarkozy outRead more