France's public prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that President Nicolas Sarkozy received secret funding during his 2007 campaign from the country's richest woman.
Liliane Bettencourt, the billionaire heiress of cosmetics empire L'Oreal, is said to have provided Mr Sarkozy with "envelopes stuffed with cash" at her private parties in Paris.
The information was revealed by the billionaire's accountant, Claire Thibout, who said that "everyone in the ho...
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