FRANCE: Sarkozy ally gets slapdown from prime minister
Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux, who has made waves for a crackdown on Gypsies and is appealing a conviction for a racist slur, is under fire from the prime minister for criticising the “disproportionate” sentencing of seven police officers. Read More
FRANCE: Govt minister uses crime stats to justify Roma deportation
In response to the growing storm of condemnation over the deportation of Roma from France, interior minister Brice Hortefeux stated on Wednesday that crime perpetrated by Roma has skyrocketed over the past year. Read More
FRANCE: France to dismantle half of all illegal itinerant camps
France’s Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux announced Wednesday that half the country’s illegal “travelling people” and Roma camps would be dismantled within three months, and that any caught breaking the law would be deported. Read More
FRANCE: Former minister Pasqua gets suspended sentence for corruption
Former interior minister Charles Pasqua has been sentenced in Paris to a one-year suspended prison sentence for abuse of public funds and attempt to conceal evidence in connection with a public organisation which sells police equipment abroad. Read More
FRANCE: Prosecutors seek jail term for former minister Pasqua
A verdict is expected on Friday in a graft case involving 83-year-old former interior minister Charles Pasqua, who is accused of having accepted bribes linked to several business deals in the 1990s. Read More
FRANCE: French political veteran Pasqua back in court on corruption charges
Senator Charles Pasqua (pictured), renowned for his fiery temperament and talent for ducking the sword of French justice, is back in court on three separate charges of corruption while serving as Interior Minister in the 1990s. Read More
FRENCH POLITICS: Interior Minister Hortefeux in court for allegedly racist remarks
A French anti-racist organisation has accused Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux of “public defamation of a racist nature,” for remarks he made at last year’s summer conference of the ruling UMP party. His trial starts Friday. Read More