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CRIME

Senator ‘plots child sex scandal’ against rival

A French Senator has been caught on tape plotting to set up his rival Senator Jean-Louis Masson with an underage girl in Morocco.

Published: 1 August 2012 10:49 CEST

In a recording obtained by his rival, senator Jean-Louis Masson, Grosdidier discusses plans to get an underage girl to have sex with Masson in a foreign country, weekly magazine Marianne reveals."That’s the only thing that's left for us to do: trick him with a minor," Senator François Grosdidier is heard telling an unnamed estate agent in Moselle in the east of France.

In the taped conversation, Grosdidier and the estate agent discuss the practicalities of setting up such a trap."Let’s go for Morocco, we’ll catch him like a rabbit," says the estate agent.

To which Grosdidier responds: "As soon at the story gets out, I’ll get in touch with the state secretary at the ministry of the interior and tell him ‘Listen, don’t protect him, he’s the worst half-assed French politician," adding that the removal of Masson would be "a thorn out of his side."

Both rightwing UMP senators Grosdidier and Masson are based in the department of Moselle and have reportedly been waging a war against each other for years.  

The conversation appears to have been taped in the company of other people. Masson says he received the tape from a local business owner who felt cheated by Grosdidier.

On tape, Grosdidier worries that Morocan policemen wouldn’t dare arrest a French senator. He speculates that they would need to rope in an MP, an charity organisation or a journalist to kick up a media storm.

The two men also discuss setting up Masson in a sex scandal in France. The estate agent says he has tried and failed to recruit someone locally.

"We’ve already discussed this, I can’t find anybody. They’re all afraid," says the man in the recording.

The tape also gives some interesting insights into local housing practices.

"I can’t do it. I’ve tried. I have loads of friends who aren’t afraid of anything," says the estate agent. "When I have a problem with a tenant, they go in, slap him around and get him out. But when I say it’s for the man, they’re afraid. They don’t want to use a minor in France. But let’s go for Morocco, we’ll catch him like a rabbit."

Asked about the tape, Grosdidier has not denied the recordings are real, but denies plotting against his rival, and insists the conversation was a "schoolboy prank".

Masson has filed a lawsuit against his rival for conspiracy, while Grosdidier has struck back with a suit for slander, manipulation and conspiracy.

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POLITICS

8 things you never knew about Andorra

The tiny statelet nestled in the Pyrenees mountains that mark the border between France and Spain hit the headlines with its new language requirement for residency permits – but what else is there to know about Andorra?

Published: 26 April 2024 15:11 CEST
8 things you never knew about Andorra

This week, Andorra passed a law setting a minimum Catalan language requirement for foreign residents. 

It’s not often the tiny, independent principality in the mountains makes the news – other than, perhaps, when its national football team loses (again) to a rather larger rival in international qualifying competitions.

The national side are due to play Spain in early June, as part of the larger nation’s warm-up for the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany. Here, then, in case you’re watching that match, at Estadio Nuevo Vivero, are a few facts about Andorra that you can astound your fellow football fans with…

Size matters

Small though it is – it has an area of just 468 square kilometres, a little more than half the size of the greater Paris area – there are five smaller states in Europe, 15 smaller countries in the world by area, and 10 smaller by population.

People

Its population in 2023 was 81,588. That’s fewer people than the city of Pau, in southwest France (which is itself the 65th largest town in France, by population).

High-living

The principality’s capital, Andorra la Vella (population c20,000 – about the same population as Dax) is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres above sea level. 

Spoken words

The official language – and the one you’ll need for a residency permit – is Catalan. But visitors will find Spanish, Portuguese and French are also commonly spoken, and a fair few people will speak some English, too.

Sport

We’ve already mentioned the football. But Andorra’s main claim to sporting fame is as a renowned winter sports venue. With about 350km of ski runs, across 3,100 hectares of mountainous terrain, it boasts the largest ski area in the Pyrenees.

Economic model

Tourism, the mainstay of the economy, accounts for roughly 80 percent of Andorra’s GDP. More than 10 million tourists visit every year.

It also has no sales tax on most items – which is why you’ll often find a queue at the French border as locals pop into the principality to buy things like alcohol, cigarettes and (bizarrely) washing powder, which are significantly cheaper.

Head of state

Andorra has two heads of state, because history. It’s believed the principality was created by Charlemagne (c748 – 814CE), and was ruled by the count of Urgell up to 988CE, when it was handed over to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urgell. The principality, as we know it today, was formed by a treaty between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix in 1278.

Today, the state is jointly ruled by two co-princes: the bishop of Urgell in Catalonia, Spain and … the president of France, who (despite the French aversion to monarchy and nobility) has the title Prince of Andorra, following the transfer of the count of Foix’s claims to the Crown of France and, subsequently, to the head of state of the French Republic. 

Military, of sorts

Andorra does have a small, mostly ceremonial army. But all able-bodied Andorran men aged between 21 and 60 are obliged to respond to emergency situations, including natural disasters.

Legally, a rifle should be kept and maintained in every Andorran household – though the same law also states that the police will supply a firearm if one is required.

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