Nicolas Sarkozy’s hopes of a comeback to the frontline of French politics were given a major boost when corruption charges against the former president were dropped.

French judges have dropped an investigation into former president Nicolas Sarkozy over allegations that he illegally took donations from France’s richest woman on the way to his 2007 election victory.

The selection of Frenchman Cyril Roux as financial regulator and deputy Central Bank governor in succession to Matthew Elderfield has caught a few people on the hop, although the appointment has received a broad, if cautious, welcome.

France has opened a judicial investigation into allegations former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 election bid won illicit funds from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The row over a corruption probe against Nicolas Sarkozy has escalated after the judge who charged France's former president received a bullet and a death threat in the post.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has denounced charges against him in connection with a probe into illegal party funding as “unfair and unfounded”.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with taking financial advantage of France’s richest woman as part of a probe into illegal party funding, a move supporters say is aimed at preventing his political comeback.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been formally placed under investigation over claims that he illegally took donations from France’s richest woman on the way to his 2007 election victory.

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim remains the world’s richest man for the fourth year in a row, according to Forbes magazine.

Nicolas Sarkozy was questioned by magistrates trying to establish whether he received illegal campaign funds from France’s richest woman when he ran for president in 2007.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under investigation as a special witness after a day spent answering a judge’s questions about whether he accepted illegal campaign donations from Europe’s richest woman.

Former president of France Nicolas Sarkozy is appearing in court today over claims that he illegally accepted donations from France’s richest woman to fund his 2007 election campaign.

The billionaire heiress to the L’Oreal beauty goods empire has sold a Seychelles island at the heart of a tax evasion case, the archipelago’s government said.

FRANCE’S richest woman, the cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt, was ordered to be placed under the legal protection of relatives by a French court yesterday in the latest twist in a family drama worthy of television’s Dallas or Dynasty.

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy’s has denied new claims he took undeclared campaign cash from the heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune five years ago, just as the race for next year’s presidential elections is heating up.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's has denied new claims that he took undeclared campaign cash from the heiress to the L'Oreal cosmetics fortune five years ago, just as the race for next year's presidential elections is heating up.

SOME of France’s richest people, including the billionaire heiress of L’Oreal and the head of oil major Total, urged the government to tax them more to help solve the country’s financial problems.

Nicolas Sarkozy appointed a new government in a marathon weekend reshuffle with faithful allies taking top posts clearly aimed at pleasing his conservative ranks before France’s 2012 presidential election.

FRENCH police probing a party financing scandal linked to L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt have searched the headquarters of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s majority UMP, the party said yesterday.

POLICE questioned France’s richest woman yesterday about suspected tax evasion and money laundering, her lawyer said, in a scandal that has shaken the government.

The heiress to the L’Oreal cosmetics fortune is being questioned by French investigators in a probe into her finances which has embroiled the government, her lawyer said today.

THE financial adviser to the L’Oreal cosmetics heiress at the centre of a French government financial scandal was taken in for questioning by prosecutors yesterday.

The financial adviser to the L’Oreal cosmetics heiress at the centre of a French government financial scandal was taken in for questioning by prosecutors today.

A KEY aide of French president Nicholas Sarkozy yesterday agreed to resign amid a scandal involving claims of illegal political financing.

A key aide of French president Nicolas Sarkozy today agreed to resign amid a scandal involving claims of illegal political financing.

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy urged a minister at the centre of a furore over alleged illegal political donations to step down as treasurer of his ruling UMP party, but said he had been cleared of any wrongdoing.

AFTER weeks of turmoil over a political donations scandal, French President Nicolas Sarkozy will make a rare summer address to the nation today, before a key pension reform is presented to the cabinet tomorrow.

PROSECUTORS yesterday opened an official investigation into claims that France’s richest woman secretly funded President Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign.

Prosecutors today opened an official investigation into claims that France’s richest woman secretly funded President Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign.

POLICE yesterday probed allegations that President Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign received illegal donations from France’s richest woman throwing up the biggest crisis of his mandate.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy today denied allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign received €150,000 in secret cash donations from France's richest woman.

FRENCH president Nicolas Sarkozy’s ratings have hit an all-time low, dragged down by scandals over his ministers, discontent over pension reform and a disastrous World Cup for the French soccer team.

RECORDINGS of L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt’s conversations about political dealings and Swiss bank accounts may play a key role at a trial over whether the 87-year-old was manipulated into giving a friend about €1 billion in gifts.

A FRENCH family drama worthy of a soap opera landed in court yesterday, as the daughter of France’s richest women questioned whether her mother has lost her mind and frittered away a fortune on a man known for befriending high-society celebrities.

ONE of the world’s richest women appears to have taken L’Oreal’s most famous slogan “because you’re worth it” a step too far and caused a huge financial rift with her daughter.

US investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett has taken the title of the world’s richest man away from his friend Bill Gates after 13 years, business magazine Forbes said.