Emmanuel Macron files complaint over Le Pen’s offshore claims
The frontrunner in the race for the French presidency, Emmanuel Macron, has filed a lawsuit over online rumours that he has a secret bank account in the Caribbean
French presidential election frontrunner Emmanuel Macron has filed a formal complaint following remarks by his far-right rival Marine Le Pen implying that he had an offshore account in the Caribbean.
During the heated and sometimes vicious debate on Wednesday night, Le Pen told Macron she hoped “we will not find out that you have an offshore account in the Bahamas” – apparently a reference to documents circulating on the internet that linked Macron to a Caribbean bank and were easily identifiable as forgeries. Macron swiftly rejected the comment as “defamation”.
The allegations about a secret bank account spread online on right-wing websites and on social media.
Speaking on French radio on Thursday, Macron called the allegations "fake news and lies" and said some of the sites spreading them were "linked to Russian interests".
Macron's team has published a blow-by-blow account purporting to show how the allegations were spread online just two hours before the debate in an attempt to damage their candidate.
Paris prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into whether fake news was being used to influence Sunday’s election runoff.
A member of Macron’s entourage said the campaign would “not hesitate to prosecute for defamation” anyone who repeated the claims in public.
According to a snap poll by French broadcaster BFMTV, 63% of viewers thought Macron had come out on top in the two-and-a-half-hour debate – a result roughly in line with the outcome pollsters are predicting on Sunday.