French Senate lifts Serge Dassault immunity clearing way for charges
French Senate waives immunity of billionaire lawmaker suspected of paying election bribes
The French Senate yesterday lifted immunity for a billionaire industrialist senator, Serge Dassault, clearing the way for him to face criminal charges for alleged vote-buying.
The decision by a Senate committee means Dassault, 88, can immediately be taken into custody for interrogation by judges investigating allegations dating from his time as mayor of Corbeil-Essonnes, a Paris suburb he has been accused of running like a mafia godfather.
Dassault is ranked by Forbes as France's fourth-richest man and the 69th richest in the world with an estimated fortune of €13 billion (HK$138 billion).
Dassault announced earlier this week that he had requested the lifting of his own immunity - but only when it seemed inevitable that the Senate committee would approve the move in light of the criticism generated by its previous refusals to do so.
The judges suspect Dassault of operating an extensive system of vote-buying which influenced the outcome of three mayoral elections in Corbeil in 2008, 2009 and 2010, which were won either by Dassault, or by his successor and close associate, Jean-Pierre Bechter.
The result of the 2008 vote, won by Dassault, was invalidated by the Council of State after the body which oversees public administration discovered a series of payments which could have influenced the outcome of the election.