“Morally, he will remain the one who lied”, underlines François Hollande

François Hollande, former President of the Republic, was the guest of Franceinfo’s “8h30”.

Jérôme Cahuzac, François Hollande’s former budget minister, “has served his sentence” and so “he can regain his functions as a citizen”but “morally, he will remain the one who lied to the national representation, who lied to his political family, who lied to me, who lied to the whole country”underlines the former President of the Republic, François Hollande, on franceinfo Monday November 27.

Jérôme Cahuzac was sentenced five years ago for tax evasion to prison, five years of ineligibility and a fine of 300,000 euros for tax evasion. The former minister and deputy for Lot-et-Garonne is making his comeback in the media and in the political arena, ten years after Mediapart’s revelations about a hidden account abroad. He initially denied “eye to eye” this information.

“So he exonerates himself by saying that ultimately everyone lies”comments Monday November 27 François Hollande after Jérôme Cahuzac accused him on France Inter this Monday of having lied to the French about “the reversal of the unemployment curve”. “He announced it in 2013 knowing that it is not true, in 2014 knowing that it is not possible, and this until the end of his mandate. Always in vain, since it is at the beginning of Emmanuel Macron’s mandate that this unemployment curve has been reversed. Moreover, in part thanks to the measures that François Hollande was able to decide on. He knew it would take that long.”declared the former Minister Delegate for the Budget on France Inter.

A confusion that “damages politics”

“I said I wanted to reverse the unemployment curve and since it didn’t happen in time, I would have lied”, mocks the former head of state on franceinfo. Because according to him, his former minister “confuses what is a political objective, a promise which deserves to be kept always, with a lie for a private fact, that is to say having an account abroad”, argues François Hollande. However, he adds, “this confusion damages political life”.

Jérôme Cahuzac organized a public meeting at the end of last week in Monsempron-Libos, in his former constituency of Lot-et-Garonne. The former elected official also surveyed the markets. Asked about a possible return to politics, the former socialist deputy replied: “Doing politics is the conquest of power and it is public action. Public action can only be exercised with legitimacy, that is to say with a mandate. It is clear that I don’t forbid myself anything”.

On this point, François Hollande refers him again to “his personal morality”because nothing legally prevents him from running for office. “It is up to the French who will be concerned to judge”he believes. “I think it’s not indecent to want to exist after being convicted. It’s called redemption, I guess,” continues the former President of the Republic, with a touch of irony. “It won’t be the first time that a convict has run for office. Sometimes, he can be elected. Is this a sign of the vitality of democracy? I don’t think so”says François Hollande.