Conflict of interest officials

A NEW law aimed at putting a stop to conflicts of interest among French politicians and public officials is to be examined in parliament this autumn.

The draft law would apply to everyone from ministers down to local civil servants. It includes a new register of interests and the formation of an independent body that would rule on any public servants seeking work or consultancy contracts in the private sector.

There would also be a system whereby an official would be automatically withdrawn from working on a particular case if concerns were formally raised about his or her impartiality.

The rules come after the controversy surrounding former labour minister Eric Woerth, who is being investigated over his links to France’s richest woman, L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, and a separate case involving the sale of a racetrack to a group with close connections to the UMP party.