French budget chief denies claim of Swiss account

[December 05, 2012]  PARIS (AP) -- French Budget Minister Jerome Cahuzac is filing a legal complaint against a website that claims he has hidden money from French tax authorities in offshore accounts -- all while leading the country's campaign against tax evaders.

Muckraking website Mediapart reported Tuesday that Cahuzac had a secret Swiss bank account until 2010, when the funds were transferred to Singapore. It was not clear if the site contends the account is still open. Foreign accounts must be declared to French tax authorities.

Cahuzac is going after Mediapart for defamation and says he has never had a foreign account. He told French radio RTL on Wednesday that the site's claims were "delirious."

Cahuzac has led France's crackdown on tax evasion -- part of a larger effort to cut the country's deficit.

[Associated Press]

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