5 May 2008

PARIS - An online advertisement on auction website eBay for far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen's armoured car mysteriously came off the site again on Sunday, after it was flagged for preposterous bidding.

Neither the website's spokeswoman nor Le Pen's National Front party representative could confirm how or why this had happened.

The bid for Le Pen's car, a 1992 blue Peugeot 605 model with full leather interior, went online on Wednesday. It was first taken off the site the same day after a EUR 10-million-bid, which eBay said was a "joke".

It was then re-advertised, with a note for bidders to contact the owner directly. By Friday the bidding price had once again shot up to EUR 10 million.

The National Front has been gripped by a financial crisis since its weak performance in last year's parliamentary elections stripped it of state aid.

It is now being forced to sell its assets, including its headquarters in the Paris suburb of Saint Cloud with layoffs planned in the party ranks.  

In 2002, the firebrand far-right leader shocked Europe by making it through to the second round of the presidential elections.

[AFP / Expatica]