Starting with the soon-to-be ex-president:
"Sarkozy denies illegal campaign cash" September 01, 2011|Associated Press
PARIS - French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office vigorously denied assertions in a new book that he personally took undeclared campaign cash from the heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune five years ago - assertions that come just as the race for next year’s presidential elections is heating up.
Sarkozy’s allies suggested the accusations are a campaign ploy against the unpopular president. Similar accusations first surfaced last year.
Still, questions about how Sarkozy financed his 2007 campaign could stain his likely bid for reelection in April and May. Critics have long deemed the conservative leader too cozy with the rich, criticism that carries particular sting now that the French economy is stalling and many of his supporters are disillusioned with his leadership....
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Also see: Sarkozy's Watergate
"Chirac is ailing, lawyers tell court
PARIS - Former president Jacques Chirac is not well enough to attend his trial on corruption charges, but the proceedings should go ahead, his lawyers said yesterday. Chirac’s legal team told the court that the 78-year-old “no longer has the full capacity to participate in court proceedings.’’ A judge will probably rule on the request to skip appearances tomorrow, when the trial is set to open."
Related: Ex-French leader can skip corruption trial
And the man who would have been president:
"Strauss-Kahn returns, with baggage; Lands in France with future in politics up in air" September 05, 2011|By Greg Keller, Associated Press
PARIS - Dominique Strauss-Kahn received a mixed welcome yesterday as he returned home to France for the first time since attempted rape accusations by a New York hotel maid unleashed an international scandal that dashed his chances for the French presidency.
New York prosecutors dropped their case against Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, because of questions about the maid’s credibility.
See: Strauss-Kahn Cleared
But the affair cost Strauss-Kahn his job at the helm of the IMF and exposed his personal life to worldwide scrutiny that has stained his image and left the French divided over what he should do next. His high-profile return home reflects how large he looms here....
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