France's Justice Minister Rachida Dati arrives in the courtyard of the Elysee Palace in Paris seen in this January 7, 2009 file photo. Still digesting news of sex assault charges against a presidential contender and allegations against a minister, French voters are now confronted with rumours of a high-level pedophile cover-up. Former justice minister Rachida Dati warnedex-education minister Luc Ferry he had put himself in a difficult position, since he was either spreading slander or else perverting the course of justice by witholding evidence of a serious crime.
Photograph by: Charles Platiau, Reuters
PARIS - Still digesting news of sex assault charges against a presidential contender and allegations against a minister, French voters are now confronted with rumours of a high-level pedophile cover-up.
The scandal erupted two weeks after IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York, and two days after Civil Service Minister George Tron resigned to fight charges he had sexually abused two municipal employees.
Appearing on TV to discuss what the allegations reveal about French society, ex-education minister Luc Ferry let slip a claim that a then serving minister had been caught abusing "small boys" at a Moroccan orgy several years ago.
According to Ferry, who did not name the alleged pedophile, the case was known about "at the highest levels of state" and French officials worked with Morocco to hush up the scandal and ensure the minister returned safely.
Ferry's intention appeared to be to cite an anecdote revealing the extent to which, prior to Strauss-Kahn's arrest, French law prevented politicians and journalists from discussing individual sexual behviour behind closed doors.
But his comments provoked a storm of criticism, with leading political figures piling in to demand that he either provide evidence of wrongdoing to the authorities or else withdraw the claim as unfounded rumour-mongering.
"If anyone thinks he knows about a crime, he should make a complaint and not just blabber to the press," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe declared.
Former justice minister Rachida Dati warned Ferry he had put himself in a difficult position, since he was either spreading slander or else perverting the course of justice by witholding evidence of a serious crime.
She predicted that an investigating magistrate would be obliged to look into the case, and warned: "We have legislation in France that allows us to prosecute anyone who carries out pedophile acts abroad."
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