Bribery 'hoax' scandal shakes French political elite

A scandal that has shaken France’s political elite has gained momentum with a report quoting a former secret agent alleging that Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin asked for an investigation into his chief political rival.

Le Monde newspaper reported yesterday that Villepin, on the orders of French President Jacques Chirac, asked the agent to dig up information on Nicolas Sarkozy, now interior minister, as part of a wider bribe-taking inquiry centred on the Defence Ministry.