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Macron's Opponents Call for Public Investigation Into His Undeclared Assets

In February, a complaint against French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron was filed to the High Authority for transparency in public life, a French anti-corruption body.
Sputnik

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Last year, the French satirical weekly Canard Enchaîné reported that Macron, a former investment banker and Minister of Economy, owned undeclared assets.

The complaint aimed to check the transparency of Macron’s financial affairs was initiated by presidential candidate Paul Mumbach, the leader of the Franche-Comté movement Jean-Philippe Allenbach and Serge Grass, chair of the Union of Taxpaying Civilians.

In an interview with Sputnik France, Mumbach explained the reasons behind their move: "This is about the truth and fairness towards all candidates. As for me, I don’t have any personal favorites because I’m a candidate, a minor candidate. What is really sad in this story is that the candidates are not treated equally."

The candidate noted that as the presidential election nears there is a growing number of complaints and compromising materials against candidates, but they are often ignored by the press and authorities.

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"There have already been complaints to the High Authority against Macron and other candidates. But there was no response. They have also been ignored by the press. I’m not a critic of our judicial system, but we need certain justice," he said.

Mumbach said that he and his colleagues also applied the Paris prosecutor’s office in order to draw attention to the case.

"We’d like to believe that all candidates tell the truth and their declarations are correct. But sooner or later, there comes a point when such politicians [as Macron] have to respond," he pointed out.

Furthermore, he also criticized the manner in which the majority of French media are reporting on the situation.

"Many French people don’t understand what’s going on. There is one-sided reporting by media. French media outlets love sensation, they want to draw an audience. […] Many outlets reported on our complaint to the High Authority. But our request to the prosecutor’s office was barely reported. In fact, people have the right to be informed," Mumbach said.

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He also underscored that all controversial issues like the situation around Macron’s financial declaration should be resolved now, in order to secure future political stability.

"I don’t want a situation in which the French president will be under investigation. This would be unacceptable taking into account the current state of affairs in France, including unemployment and social problems," Mumbach concluded.

The first round of the French presidential election will take place on April 23, with the run-off scheduled for May 7.

The electoral campaign has already been shadowed by a series of political scandals.

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Candidate from the Republican party Francoid Fillon has been hardest hit, with the conservative leader the subject of an investigation amid allegations his wife and children received around $1.07 million in public funds for alleged "fake jobs" while working as parliamentary aides and assistants.

As for his rival Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Front party, the European Union’s anti-fraud watchdog, has demanded her pay back $365,000 in EU allowances, accusing her of breaking EU rules by using the institution's money to pay for two assistants who were carrying out non-parliamentary work.

In February, whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks announced it had obtained thousands of documents mentioning not only Fillon and Le Pen, but also Macron.

French presidential elections: infographic

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