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Former minister Woerth in court over Compiègne forest sale

France's former budget minister, Eric Woerth, appeared in court Wednesday, in connection with accusations that he sold off part of the historic Compiègne forest at a knockdown price.

Reuters/Charles Platiau
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Woerth was called before the hearing as an "assisted witness".

That means he is not under formal investigation, but he is considered to have had a greater involvement than a straightforward witness.

The case dates back to March 2010.

Woerth, who was budget minister at the time, authorised the sale of 57 hectares of land in the Compiègne forest north of Paris - including a restaurant, a racetrack and a golf course - to a private company.

The forest was the scene of the signing of the armistice at the end of World War I and the railway carriage where the ceremony took place is preserved there.

The ministry of agriculture and the forestry commission had previously blocked the sale, on the grounds that the forest belongs to the state.

But according to French muckraking weekly Le Canard Enchainé, Woerth allowed the sale to go ahead without calling for any other bids.

The paper claims the head of the company that bought the land is a personal associate of Woerth and his wife.

The land was sold for 2.5 million euros, which critics say is well below the market price.

A group of opposition MPs asked for an investigation.

Woerth denies any wrongdoing.

He was dropped from the government in July last year, after he was accused of accepting illegal campaign donations from French millionaire Lilliane Bettencourt.
 

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