FRANCE’S FILLON ‘VERY LIKELY’ WIRETAPPED
REUTERS, 26TH
MARCH, 2017- It is “extremely likely” that French conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has been the subject of wiretapping in the course of a judicial investigation, a campaign aide said on Sunday, in the latest accusations to be made by the Fillon camp against the authorities. Fillon, a former front-runner who is now lagging in polls following a financial scandal, had earlier this week accused Socialist President Francois Hollande of orchestrating a plot against him. In comments reminiscent of U.S. President Donald Trump’s accusations against former president Barack Obama, Fillon and his team are now raising allegations of wiretapping.
“It’s extremely likely,” lawmaker Eric Ciotti, a close campaign aide, told Europe 1 radio and CNEWS television in an interview on Sunday, asked about reports that Fillon himself on Saturday said he was likely to have been wiretapped in the course of the probe into accusations of misuse of public funds.
“It wouldn’t be illegal but that would, once more, be a democratic scandal,” Ciotti said.
As with other accusations made by the Fillon camp in recent weeks, the wiretapping comments triggered some criticism.