A group of shareholders in the French newspaper Le Monde has denounced President Nicolas Sarkozy for interfering in the process of selling their newspaper.
Sarkozy last week summoned Le Monde's publisher, Éric Fottorino, to the Élysée Palace, where he is said to have expressed opposition to a bid for the paper from a group of three businessmen with links to the opposition Socialist Party.
The president's intervention has angered the Society of Readers of Le Monde, which is part of a shareholders' group that, along with Le Monde employees, owns a controlling stake in the newspaper.
Sarkozy is concerned about the possibility of the paper falling into the hands of a consortium led by Matthieu Pigasse, head of the French operations of the Lazard investment bank; Pierre Bergé, co-founder of the Yves Saint Laurent fashion house; and Xavier Niel, a telecommunications entrepreneur.
For other bidders, see Saturday's posting here.
Source: NYTimes
