Nicolas Sarkozy's home raided by French police

The Guardian UK ^ | July 3 2012 | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

[Cincinna]

French police have raided the home and offices of the former president Nicolas Sarkozy as part of an investigation into allegations of illegal campaign-financing by France's wealthiest woman.

Police searched the mansion rented by Carla Bruni in a chic gated community in the west of Paris early on Tuesday morning. She and Sarkozy have lived there since their marriage, in 2008. Detectives also searched the office of the legal firm where Sarkozy is a partner and the office he moved into after losing the presidential election to the Socialist François Hollande in May.

The couple were not present as they had left for a holiday in Quebec on Monday, Sarkozy's lawyer said.

As president, Sarkozy was protected by judicial immunity but this expired on 16 June. A judge in Bordeaux is investigating whether brown envelopes of illegal cash were given to Sarkozy's rightwing UMP party by France's wealthiest woman, the frail and ageing L'Oreal heir, Liliane Bettencourt, during the election campaign in 2007. The investigating magistrate is trying to establish whether Sarkozy's campaign may have received €800,000 (£640,000) in illegal funding, and whether transfers from Swiss accounts may have been handed over to Sarkozy's campaign treasurer or even to Sarkozy himself.

In February, Eric Woerth, the former budget minister and treasurer of Sarkozy's ruling UMP party, was placed under judicial investigation over cash he was alleged to have received from Bettencourt to fund the 2007 campaign.

Sarkozy has denied any links to the scandal. Magistrates working on the cases have so far kept silent over whether they would call Sarkozy to testify.

[Cincinna]

Well, now, it seems that Arun (Arun Kapil) is a FReeper: a member of our conservative web community, FRee Republic. He writes in a post on  Free Republic “I found it interesting and in tune with my views and opinion”
FReepers treated Arun and his anti-American views with tolerance and respect. Wish he would show the same. 

Arun’s post at Free Republic on University of Jihad in Pakistan:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1394335/posts?page=27#27

Arun’s post on Free Republic in full: 
To: BullDog108
“This guy signed up today, posted a thread with a comment criticizing America” 

Yes, i did sign up today. I was browsing through the net and found this site. I found it interesting and in tune with my views and opinion, so i signed up. The comment was not ment to criticeze the US, just an opinion.
27 posted on April 30, 2005 5:54:44 PM EDT by arun

[bruinbirdman]

"I’m surprised that Obama hasn’t done the same thing by putting Bush up for a good old fashioned Soviet show trial."

Close enough. The Obammunist has sent his IRS Gestapo to investigate Karl Rove's 501c4 PAC. And any other conservative 501s.

yitbos

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks, Cincinna! You do great work here at FR. Please keep it up.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cincinna:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2902444/posts?page=6#6
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2902444/posts?page=16#16