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| Disgraced French tax tsar offers mea culpa on TV | Disgraced French tax tsar offers mea culpa on TV |
| (8 days later) | |
| Jérôme Cahuzac, the former French budget minister whose shock confession to having a secret foreign bank account plunged the Socialist government into crisis, has made a long televised display of contrition over his "mad mistake". | Jérôme Cahuzac, the former French budget minister whose shock confession to having a secret foreign bank account plunged the Socialist government into crisis, has made a long televised display of contrition over his "mad mistake". |
| Cahuzac, who had been François Hollande's tax tsar leading the fight against tax evasion, sparked the worst scandal in the Socialist presidency this month when he came clean that he was a major tax-evader himself and had repeatedly lied over a hidden Swiss account. | Cahuzac, who had been François Hollande's tax tsar leading the fight against tax evasion, sparked the worst scandal in the Socialist presidency this month when he came clean that he was a major tax-evader himself and had repeatedly lied over a hidden Swiss account. |
| Hollande, whose main campaign pledge was to wipe out corruption and tax evasion, tried to contain the hugely damaging row by publishing all French ministers' assets on Monday. Cahuzac's surprise TV interview failed to totally quell questions around the scandal. | Hollande, whose main campaign pledge was to wipe out corruption and tax evasion, tried to contain the hugely damaging row by publishing all French ministers' assets on Monday. Cahuzac's surprise TV interview failed to totally quell questions around the scandal. |
| Asked whether Hollande had knowledge of the account, he replied he "did not know" what Hollande knew, but said that he had certainly lied to the president himself. At a recent press conference, Hollande denied outright any knowledge of the account. | Asked whether Hollande had knowledge of the account, he replied he "did not know" what Hollande knew, but said that he had certainly lied to the president himself. At a recent press conference, Hollande denied outright any knowledge of the account. |
| Cahuzac, who has now been charged with laundering the proceeds of tax fraud, announced in the interview with BFMTV and RMC radio that he would step down from his parliamentary seat. After lying at length to the national assembly over the account, government figures had said he had no option but to relinquish his seat in a south-western constituency. | Cahuzac, who has now been charged with laundering the proceeds of tax fraud, announced in the interview with BFMTV and RMC radio that he would step down from his parliamentary seat. After lying at length to the national assembly over the account, government figures had said he had no option but to relinquish his seat in a south-western constituency. |
| His rehearsed appearance was stage-managed by the same PR gurus that advised former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn when he faced charges of attempted rape of a New York hotel worker, which were later dropped. Cahuzac used the same phrase as Strauss-Kahn had in a TV appearance to refer to the encounter with the hotel worker, saying his lie and secret account was a "moral fault." | His rehearsed appearance was stage-managed by the same PR gurus that advised former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn when he faced charges of attempted rape of a New York hotel worker, which were later dropped. Cahuzac used the same phrase as Strauss-Kahn had in a TV appearance to refer to the encounter with the hotel worker, saying his lie and secret account was a "moral fault." |
| Cahuzac said he had lied to himself for years over the hidden account and what he called his "illicit activities over the border". He said he had been irrational in accepting the budget minister's job as tax-collector in chief while he was secretly a tax-evader, and he had been "consumed by internal contradictions". | Cahuzac said he had lied to himself for years over the hidden account and what he called his "illicit activities over the border". He said he had been irrational in accepting the budget minister's job as tax-collector in chief while he was secretly a tax-evader, and he had been "consumed by internal contradictions". |
| He made his shock confession two weeks ago, admitting to having a secret account in Switzerland for 20 years, which contained €600,000. Swiss reports say the account could contain as much as €15m, but he denied, it saying the higher sum "had nothing to do with reality". | He made his shock confession two weeks ago, admitting to having a secret account in Switzerland for 20 years, which contained €600,000. Swiss reports say the account could contain as much as €15m, but he denied, it saying the higher sum "had nothing to do with reality". |
| He said the money came from his work as a hair-transplant surgeon and said he had worked as a consultant to pharmaceuticals laboratories after ending a job at the health ministry. He denied a conflict of interest and said there was no "troubling relationship" with pharmaceutical firms. He also denied the account had been used for secret funding of past presidential campaigns. | He said the money came from his work as a hair-transplant surgeon and said he had worked as a consultant to pharmaceuticals laboratories after ending a job at the health ministry. He denied a conflict of interest and said there was no "troubling relationship" with pharmaceutical firms. He also denied the account had been used for secret funding of past presidential campaigns. |
| Asked by the journalist during the interview, "Why should we believe you?", he replied: "That's my problem." He said he had been open with investigators and the justice system which would now prove the truth. | Asked by the journalist during the interview, "Why should we believe you?", he replied: "That's my problem." He said he had been open with investigators and the justice system which would now prove the truth. |
| He said his mistake in hiding the account had been unforgivable. | He said his mistake in hiding the account had been unforgivable. |
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