Le Pen aides taken into French police custody
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS | Wed Feb 22, 2017 | 9:19am EST
Le Pen aides taken into French police custody
French police detained far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's bodyguard and chief of staff in custody on Wednesday for questioning over alleged misuse of European Union funds to pay parliamentary assistants, Le Pen's lawyer said.
Le Pen denounced the latest move in a financial sleaze case that has landed her in the spotlight alongside another leading candidate, Francois Fillon, a right-winger being investigated over public funds he paid to his wife and children.
Wary that her image and lead position in polls of voting intentions could be hurt, Le Pen on Wednesday said she was convinced voters would not fall for what her lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi called a "manipulation" designed to destabilize her.
"The French can tell the difference between genuine scandals and political dirty-tricks," Le Pen, who has previously denied any wrongdoing in the affair, told reporters.
The two held for questioning are Le Pen's bodyguard, Thierry Legier, and her chief of staff, Catherine Griset, key figures in an investigation opened following demands by the European Parliament that Le Pen repay money she is accused of wrongly paying the two.
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Read more:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-lepen-idUSKBN1610XQ
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Earlier LBN thread:
Expenses scandal: Marine Le Pen's Front National headquarters raided by French police