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Old July 13th, 2010 #14
alex revision
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Default Sarkozy: France not a corrupt country

Sarkozy: France not a corrupt country

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:59:51 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?i...onid=351020603

With his job approval at its lowest rate, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has slamed allegations that he took illegal funding for his 2007 election campaign, saying that France is not a corrupt country.

In an attempt to restore the credibility of his scandal-hit government, Sarkozy used France 2, a state channel, to dismiss as "slander and lies" allegations that his Labor Minister Eric Woerth accepted 150,000 euros (US $190,000) from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt in order to finance the expenditures of Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign.

Sarkozy denounced accusations of receiving illegal cash donations from the 87-year-old Bettencourt as" disgraceful", adding that those behind the allegations were taking part in a defamation campaign, AFP reported.

The president also threw his weight behind Woerth, who has been hit by allegations of a conflict of interest, but he vowed an inquiry would probe into Woerth`s conduct.

"Eric Woerth is an honest man, a competent man. He enjoys my full confidence," Sarkozy said amid calls for his minister's resignation.

Critics say Woerth`s role as the treasurer for President Sarkozy's UMP party, conflicts with his other role as the minister for labor and social affairs.

Woerth is set to go before the cabinet on Tuesday to present a bill raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 before it heads to parliament in September.

The remarks come as French prosecutors have already launched criminal investigations into the controversial affair that has further eroded public support for the French president.

"France is not a corrupt country," Sarkozy also said in a veiled response to a recent poll, which indicated that nearly two out of every three French voters believe their politicians are "mostly corrupt."

Opinion polls suggest public support for Sarkozy has hit a record low following two embarrassing ministerial resignations and a string of unpopular austerity measures aimed at slicing the country's huge budget deficit.