Probe into Sarkozy link to heiress cash

Prosecutors investigated claims that Sarkozy's campaign received illegal funding from France's richest woman.

Prosecutors investigated claims that President Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign received illegal funding from France’s richest woman,as allies attacked his accusers’ “fascist” tactics.

The prosecutor’s office in the western Paris suburb of Nanterre asked the fraud squad to probe allegations made by a former accountant for Liliane Bettencourt,heiress of the L’Oreal cosmetics empire.

Sarkozy’s allies hit back over the allegations,accusing the media of “fascist” tactics and dismissing the scandal as lies.

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“We will not give in to this upheaval,” Prime Minister Francois Fillon declared,rebuffing calls for a ministerial clearout.

Claire Thibout told police that in early 2007 Bettencourt’s financial advisor gave 150,000 euros (USD 188,000) in cash to Eric Woerth,treasurer for Sarkozy’s UMP party and now also labour minister.

Woerth has blamed what he called “a political plot orchestrated by the Socialist Party”,while others slammed the media,notably the investigative news website Mediapart which broke the story.

“This famous site’s behaviour recalls that of certain newspapers in the 1930s,” Industry Minister Christian Estrosi told France Info radio,in an apparent reference to fascist political currents in pre-war France.