Le Pen denounced the latest move in a financial sleaze case that has landed her in the spotlight alongside another leading candidate, Francois Fillon, a right-winger being investigated over public funds he paid to his wife and children. Wary that her image and lead position in polls of voting intentions could be hurt, Le Pen on Wednesday said she was convinced voters would not fall for what her lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi called a "manipulation" designed to destabilize her. "The French can tell the difference between genuine scandals and political dirty-tricks," Le Pen, who has previously denied any wrongdoing in the affair, told reporters. The two held for questioning are Le Pen's bodyguard, Thierry Legier, and her chief of staff, Catherine Griset, key figures in an investigation opened following demands by the European Parliament that Le Pen repay money she is accused of wrongly paying the two. Wednesday's detentions followed a police raid on Monday on Le Pen's National Front party headquarters on the western edge of Paris, while she was abroad.

Source: bd News24 February 22, 2017 13:41 UTC