Begging forgiveness, French ex-budget minister admits to lying about foreign bank account
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
French President Francois Hollande is decrying an "unforgiveable moral error" by his former budget minister, who has admitted in his blog to lying about a once-secret foreign bank account.
A spokeswoman for Paris prosecutors said authorities filed preliminary charges Tuesday against Jerome Cahuzac for alleged money laundering. If convicted, he faces up to 5 years in prison and a 375,000 euro ($481,500) fine.
Cahuzac wrote on his blog that he told investigating judges he had a foreign bank account for 20 years. Calls to his lawyer and to colleagues to verify the comments were not returned.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Hollande's office denounced Cahuzac's behavior. The minister had long criticized the use of overseas tax havens and had insisted he didn't have a foreign bank account. He quit the government amid the ballooning scandal.