EX PRESIDENT SARCOZY PLANS TO EXCAPE FRENCH LAW

Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy could become the next wealthy Frenchman to flee to Britain over his country’s looming tax hikes on the rich. He is reportedly planning to move to London to set up a £800million investment fund. The 57-year-old, who was voted out of office last June, is said to have amassed a fortune from £150,000-an-hour public speaking engagements and is now said to be trying to raise capital from investors. If the move goes ahead, the embattled Frenchman will become the latest to escape a potential top tax rate of 75 per cent in his home country. 

He and his former supermodel third wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy would be likely to settle in an affluent district like South Kensington – so becoming the most high profile Gallic celebrity couple in the city.

According to dailymail.co.uk,if he succeeds there would be an outrage because he is currently facing corruption charges. Details of the planned move were uncovered during a raid by fraud police on his Paris mansion last June. It will be recalled that France's Constitutional Council threw out President Francois Hollande's 75% income tax rate on France's top earners, ruling it was unconstitutional for applying only to individual earnings,in December 2012. The ruling Socialist Party has however vowed to rewrite the law and pass it again.