Macron files lawsuit after Le Pen's comments

French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has filed a lawsuit after his rival Marine Le Pen suggested he had "black accounts abroad".

Marine Le Pen (left) and Emmanuel Macron in a televised debate on May 3. Photo: BBC

During a heated televised debate on May 3, Ms. Marine Le Pen said: "I hope that we will not discover that you have an account in the Bahamas." Mr. Macron retorted that this was a defamation of his reputation.

On May 4, AFP news agency quoted a person in Emmanuel Macron's election campaign: "We will not hesitate to sue for defamation against those who say and repeat this false information."

AFP news agency reported that according to information from the court, prosecutors in Paris have officially opened an investigation after receiving a complaint from Mr. Macron.

According to AFP's own source, Mr. Macron's lawsuit is aimed at "information posted online on the evening of May 3, alleging tax evasion in the Bahamas".

Speaking to Radio France, Mr Macron - a pro-EU centrist candidate - affirmed that these words were "fake news and lies" on the internet.

Thus, Mr. Macron filed a lawsuit 3 days before entering the French presidential election vote.

In France, there is a "44-hour silence law" before the election, according to which the media is not allowed to report on presidential candidates within 44 hours before the election./.

According to Tuoi Tre