Saga of an ex-French minister and casino firm family shares
By Antton Rouget
In 2011 Nicolas Sarkozy's then foreign minister Michèle Alliot-Marie was forced to quit after details emerged in the midst of the Arab Spring uprising of her ties with Tunisian leader Ben Ali. Now Mediapart can reveal details of a new affair involving the right-wing politician relating to when she was interior minister under the same administration. According to documents seen by Mediapart, during her time in office Alliot-Marie backed a series of measures favourable to the casino industry in France – at the same time as her family was buying shares in casino-owning companies. Antton Rouget reports.
Former interior minister Michèle Alliot-Marie introduced a series of measures favourable to the casino industry at the same time as she and her family were buying shares in casino firms, according to documents seen by Mediapart. The shares were bought by associations controlled by Alliot-Marie's family after she became head of the Ministry of the Interior – which is responsible for the gambling industry in France – under the conservative government of President Nicolas Sarkozy in May 2007.
