State Looters

<p class=ql-align-justify>On September 15 2017 in front of millions of television viewers Emmanuel Macron with François Bayrou his Keeper of the Seals at the time delivered his first lie: It is now impossible to be elected when you have a B2 criminal record. Nothing could be further from the truth: in 2025 it is still possible to stand for election and be elected after having been convicted by the courts whereas there are 396 professions requiring a clean criminal record.</p><p class=ql-align-justify>Ten years after the best-seller <em>Pilleurs d'État</em> which sold 120000 copies Philippe Pascot takes stock of the advances and setbacks in French politics listing all the legal abuses still available to the political class: exorbitant salaries and associated expenses tax exemptions multiple pensions fictitious jobs exceptional justice show trials bogus declarations of interest and activities and so many other little arrangements between friends... </p><p class=ql-align-justify>For Philippe Pascot the conclusion is clear: Behind a declared desire for transparency and a more ethical political sphere our elected representatives continue to pursue their own interests through increasingly incomprehensible laws in order to avoid criminal prosecution and drape themselves in an air of circumstantial innocence.</p>