Paris - A Paris court yesterday cleared a former conservative cabinet minister of political corruption in connection with the financing of his Riviera villa.
Former industry minister, Mr Gerard Longuet, had been forced to quit the government led by the Gaullist prime minister, Mr Edouard Balladur, in October 1994, when he first became the target of a sleaze probe over the suspiciously low price charged by Riviera businessman, Mr Rene Cereda, for the villa's construction. Mr Cereda also was cleared by the court.