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| Europe |
| If he’s talking he’s lying. If he’s moving he’s stealing. |
| 2004-01-30 |
| This all happened while Juppe was playing Robin to Chirac’s Batman -- Chirac was Paris Mayor and Juppe was Vice-Mayor. Batman always knows what Robin’s up to. A court has found former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe guilty of involvement in a party funding scam in Paris in the 1980s and early 1990s. Juppe, one of President Jacques Chirac’s closest allies, immediately appealed against the conviction. The court gave him an 18-month suspended sentence and barred him from political office for up to 10 years. However, he will be able to continue as mayor of Bordeaux, and as head of the governing UMP party during the appeal. ‘It’s a hammer blow for Jacques Chirac, who thus loses his closest adviser and his designated successor, for whom he had real affection Anita Hauser, political commentator’ The prosecution argued that Juppe allowed party employees to be put on the city payroll and to be paid for by private companies when he was deputy mayor of Paris. Mr Chirac was then the city’s mayor. Juppe denied the charges, saying that he put an end to all irregularities as soon as he found out about them. He said this month he would quit politics if found guilty. It all depends on what the meaning of "guilty" is. |
| Posted by:11A5S |