Nicolas Sarkozy's Corruption Charges Dropped

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Way could be cleared for Nicolas Sarkozy's political return after claims that corruption charges into the Bettencourt affair are dropped

Corruption charges against Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, linked to the financing of his 2007 election campaign, have been dropped, according to sources.

Such a decision could clear the way for Mr Sarkozy to return to front line politics in time for the 2017 presidential election against Francois Hollande. Opinion polls suggest that a rematch of the 2012 election would see Mr Sarkozy victorious.

Mr Sarkozy had been charged in March with accepting funds from Liliane Bettencourt, France's richest woman and the L'Oreal [sic] heiress. » | Chris Irvine, agencies | Monday, October 07, 2013

BAE in New Corruption Probe
DAILY MAIL: A minister in Tanzania accused of taking bribes from Britain's largest arms manufacturer has resigned.

Andrew Chenge quit after being accused of pocketing a backhander when his country bought a £20million military radar system from BAE Systems.

More than £500,000 was found in an offshore account belonging to the infrastructure minister, which is believed to be linked to the 2002 deal.

The company is already under scrutiny over claims it paid illegal "commissions" to win lucrative defence contracts.

The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the Tanzanian deal, which went ahead even though the east African state is one of the world's poorest countries.

Mr Chenge, a Harvard-educated lawyer, was attorney general at the time.

An earlier SFO inquiry into a record £43billion BAE arms deal with Saudi Arabia was stopped by the UK Government. Two weeks ago, the High Court ruled that this had been unlawful. BAE in New Corruption Probe as Tanzanian Minister Resigns over £500,000 Bribery Claim >>> By Daniel Martin | April 21, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)