"
Everyone knows
it," says the former diplomat.
But few people so close to the matter had yet mentioned it so directly.
Invited on the LCI set on Sunday September 18, Jean-Maurice Ripert, French ambassador to Russia from 2013 to 2017, assured bluntly that several French politicians had come "
to seek money for their party
" during his years in Moscow. .
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"
When I was ambassador to Russia, no one was unaware that a certain number of French men and women politicians
" came to visit, and "
did not leave empty
-handed", he said at the microphone of Darius Rochebin.
"
I take my responsibilities, I am retired
," he said to justify his remarks, which break with the diplomatic discretion required at the Quai d'Orsay.
Referring to an open secret, the former diplomat however refused to give details of the personalities or parties involved.
“
We are not going to go into detail
”, he evaded, simply indicating that they were “
on a certain side
”.
Suspicions on the RN
Last Tuesday, US intelligence released an estimate that Russia has paid $300 million to certain political parties in some 20 states since 2014 to expand its influence.
Confirmed by State Department spokesman Ned Price, the information mentions that Russia still plans to transfer
"at least hundreds of millions more dollars"
to parties close to Moscow.
The objective, “
to increase its influence on individuals and parties
” and to ensure that these “
obtain good results in the elections
”.
In the European Parliament, a Belgian MEP, Guy Verhofstadt, did not fail to point out the National Rally on September 14.
"
I don't know what's on the American list.
It would not surprise me if the name of Madame Le Pen and the National Rally
” appeared there, he launched.
Similarly during the last presidential campaign, the candidate Marine Le Pen had been questioned on several occasions about the borrowing of Russian money to finance her party.
According to investigations by Médiapart, the right-wing nationalist party, which has also long advocated a rapprochement between Europe and Moscow, received a loan of 9.4 million euros from First Czech. -Russian Bank (FCBR) in 2014.
The RN confirmed to this day continue to repay the loan.
Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, while Marine Le Pen positioned herself firmly against economic sanctions against Moscow, Emmanuel Macron did not fail to attack his opponent about these loans during the debate between the two rounds.
“
When you talk to Russia, you talk to your banker
,” the candidate had scolded.
