The former prime minister was heard Tuesday on his links with Moscow, by the parliamentary commission of inquiry of the National Assembly.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published update
“No interference“Russian nor”a penny of money» received, and a career in the private sector which «only look» him: the former prime minister François Fillon was heard Tuesday at the Assembly on his links with Moscow and his past presence on the boards of directors of Russian multinationals.
The former right-wing presidential candidate of 2017 appeared before the commission of inquiry initiated by the National Rally (RN) and devoted to “political, economic and financial interference from foreign powers“. François Fillon first mentioned his “36 years of public life“, as deputy, minister or head of government from 2007 to 2012. “Foreign interference, yes, I have encountered it, most of the time, it came from a friendly and allied country called the United States. I was listened to with President Sarkozy for five years by the NSA“, the US National Security Agency, he said. “I was not directly affected by Russian interference“, he added.
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“I pursue my professional career as I see fit”
François Fillon then spoke about his retraining in the private sector and his presence for a time on the board of directors of the Russian companies Sibur (petrochemicals) and Zarubezhneft (hydrocarbons), before he resigned after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army. The former head of government insisted on the private nature of his activities. “I conduct my professional career as I see fit, if I want to sell rillettes in Red Square, I will sell rillettes in Red Square“, quipped the former deputy and mayor of Sablé-sur-Sarthe, in an allusion to rillettes du Mans, a popular recipe in his stronghold.
He then added:All this happened at the end of 2021. I attended a council of the company Zarubezhneft» and to a «videoconferencing advice due to Covid from the company Sibur” Before “my resignation“, intervened “since the invasion of Ukraine“. “I have never touched a penny of money from Russia in all my political and private life“, he assured, even if”I would of course have been paid” whether “I continuedto sit on these two boards of directors.
François Fillon was also questioned about the French company Cifal operating in Russia and targeted by a preliminary investigation by the national financial prosecutor’s office for suspicion of corruption of a foreign public official. According to a source familiar with the matter, Cifal was commissioned by the Congolese company Orion – headed by Lucien Ebata, special adviser to the President of Congo-Brazzaville Denis Sassou Nguesso – to find an investor in Russia to sell its shares in the MBK oil field to. congo.
With this in mind, the leader of Cifal, Gilles Rémy, called on François Fillon to put him in touch with a Russian businessman. In this contract, François Fillon was remunerated as a business contributor. No suspicion of corruption currently weighs on him, said this source familiar with the matter. “I am not concerned by the current investigations, I worked for a company which is concerned by an investigation“, underlined François Fillon, who has a”great respect for Cifal and its leader“.
Geopolitically,I was wrong on one point, I readily admit it. I was convinced that President Putin would not take action” in Ukraine, “an absolute disaster“, said François Fillon.
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“I was convinced that President Putin would not take action”
The former Prime Minister and ex-deputy of Sarthe returned to the Palais Bourbon on Tuesday almost a year after his conviction on appeal in the case of the fictitious jobs of his wife Penelope to four years in prison, including one year closed , 375,000 euros fine and ten years of ineligibility. The couple had announced their intention to appeal.
The commission of inquiry into foreign interference, chaired by RN deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy, was launched by Marine Le Pen’s group at the end of 2022 in an attempt to cut short accusations of making the nationalist party an agent of Russian influence. In France. Encouraging other camps to denounce a “diversionof the National Rally. Several politicians have already been interviewed.
For Renaissance reporter Constance Le Grip, “the most salient point“of this committee”remains the strategy of influence and interference between Russia and the FN, which has become RN, with the meeting of Marine Le Pen in the Kremlinbefore the 2017 presidential election. On Thursday, former RN MEP Jean-Luc Schaffhauser will be heard on the Russian loan of 9.4 million euros granted to Marine Le Pen’s party in 2014. The commissions he would have received are the subject of an investigation by the national financial prosecutor’s office.