Chirac and wife face inquiry over food bills (millions of dollars worth of fraud)

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | June 13 2003 | Jon Henley in Paris

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A Paris investigating magistrate has overruled a senior public prosecutor and set up a formal inquiry into a multi-million-dollar grocery bill claimed by Jacques Chirac and his wife during eight of the 18 years that the President spent as mayor of the French capital.

Judge Philippe Courroye said on Wednesday that the alleged crimes of fraud and misuse of public funds were not subject to a 10-year statute of limitations, as the chief Paris prosecutor, Yves Bot, argued, because they may have been committed "by a person in a position of public authority".

While Mr Chirac cannot be prosecuted, or questioned, as long as he remains in office, the decision could affect his wife, Bernadette, who may have to explain how the couple could consume up to 1000 francs ($270) of fruit and veg and 357 francs of tea and coffee a day, mostly paid for in cash and justified with receipts which, in many cases, appear to have been doctored.

The inquiry follows a complaint filed last year by the current Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, after a damning report by town hall accountants.

From 1987 to 1995 the Chiracs were reimbursed 1.45 billion francs for personal food bills.

About two-thirds of the bills, which are entirely separate from the mayor's annual 10 million-franc entertainment budget, were paid in cash apparently taken from the proceeds of the town hall's staff bar. The money was reimbursed in exchange for receipts that "in many instances give rise to suspicions of substantial fraud", the report says.

One 1994 bill was reimbursed "four times that year, and then once the following year, on the basis of carbon copies of different colours and a modified date", the auditors said.

The corners of many receipts had been cut off to remove the date, the report adds, while receipts from the luxury Paris delicatessen Fauchon "appear purely and simply to be fakes".

The Guardian

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Millions of dollars, mulitple reimbursements, doctored bills, cash payments, AND the senior official tries to block an investigation.

Something stinks like a French broad's armpit here.

[NittanyLion]

Incredibly, there were no expenditures whatsoever on soap, shampoo or deodorant.

[q_an_a]

It is all about FOOD, something adults do, people talk about it, where is the crime? Some people have an intern and we French are not hypocrites. Food is a mistress just as Monica is one. Leave us alone move on. We should be honored for our sense of style.

[Redwood71]

" who may have to explain how the couple could consume up to 1000 francs ($270) of fruit and veg and 357 francs of tea and coffee a day"

Forget those toiletries, with all the fruit and the consumption of dieretics to include that much coffee and tea, where is the bill for toilet paper?

[Bahbah]

Chirac a crook! Mais non, quel shock. End sarcasm. Jaques and Bernadette would get along quite well with Bill and Hill.

[Sunshine Sister]

Looks like he and Clinton went to the same fraud school.

[eureka!]

Amazingly brazen. Nice to see some light shining on Chirac's true character. Methinks this magistrate judge should be very careful out there....

[razorback-bert]

From 1987 to 1995 the Chiracs were reimbursed 1.45 billion francs

What is that in real money, $145?

[chiefqc]

Good old french leader "Jock Strap" does ti again.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

Give the guy a break. He probably thought Saddam was picking up the tab.

[Old Professer]

Diuretics, urea-head. :)

[HiTech RedNeck]

The inquiry follows a complaint filed last year by the current Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe, after a damning report by town hall accountants.

If even a socialist gets incensed over this, it has got to be Something Bad indeed

[r9etb]

the couple could consume up to 1000 francs ($270) of fruit and veg and 357 francs of tea and coffee a day,

If we assume insanely high prices for fruit -- say, $10/lb -- that still has them eating 5 lb. of fruit every day.

And several pounds of tea and coffee.

One supposes they may have frequently entertained tens or hundreds of people at a time -- but I doubt even that many folks could eat that much stuff.

[blackbart1]

If Jacques is gone maybe we can forget about the boycotts?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Methinks this magistrate judge should be very careful out there....

That judge has got "le balls" alright...

[connectthedots]

I've heard of sales people padding expense accounts (even with the encouragement of management who viewed expense accounts as part of the compensation package), but this is a bit of a stretch.

[colorado tanker]

Chirac accused of corruption? Sacre bleu! Better send Inspector Blix over to see if he can find all that missing food!

[grapeape]

What?!?!?! A socialist wasting money? I can't believe it. I refuse to believe it!!! It didn't happen. It must be some kind of vast right wing conspiracy.... Yeh thats it.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Sacre bleu cheese, that is. French surrender monkey fodder bleu cheese.

[Redwood71]

Thank you, I get lazy when I write anymore.