Eva Joly, 66, best known in France for her personal crusade against corruption, has expressed her willingness to contend for the French Presidency in the 2012 elections. She has earned her name as a judge on the Paris bench because of her fearless approach in uncovering financial frauds and wrongdoings, and now she is determined to free France from corruption, while fighting in the political arena. Her party, the French Green Party ( Europe Ecologie ), seems to approve her nomination for the next presidential elections.
Joly is a self-made woman who gradually climbed the ladder of success. She was born on 5th December 1943 in Norway, and moved to Paris at the age of 18. Her legal education she obtained at night school, working as a secretary during the day. Specializing in financial affairs, she joined the High Court of Paris as an investigating judge in 1990.
It did not take too long for Joly to make her mark with her ruthless fight against corruption. In the early 1990s, her prosecution of the infamous businessman and government minister, Bernard Tapie, won her wide recognition in the power circles of Paris. Later she unmasked a series of money laundering and corruption cases, which made her name feared among corrupt politicians and officials.
Joly received death threats when she was working on a case involving corruption within the French Petroleum giant, ELF. Although harshly criticised for levelling unfair accusations at innocent people, nothing deterred her from doing her job, and she emerged as an honest and incorruptible judge. Her fearless fight against corruption earned her the nickname "Eva the Diva."
In 2002 Joly resigned from the bench and returned to Norway, where she was appointed as a government advisor on international corruption. Working at international level took her across the globe, during which time she was barely remembered in France, and the corrupt elements of society relaxed.
Joly returned to France in 2008 with even greater conviction. Now she had the determination to play a decisive role by entering into politics, and she announced,
"I am going into politics because I recognise the limitations of voluntary action … I have a strong desire to improve relations between the developed and developing world. I want to change power structures within society. I am desperate to see a more just and more united society."
Eva Joly joined Europe Ecologie, a grouping of France's various Green Movements, and the following year she was elected to represent the Paris area at the European Parliament. Since her election she has continuously criticised the French government over many different issues, and when the scandal of 'alleged financial donations' surfaced, involving Liliane Bettencourt, the L'oreal heiress, she demanded the resignation of Labour Minister Eric Woerth. She also strongly accuses the government of "State Racism" over its anti-immigration policies.
Nikolas Sarkozy, current president of the French Republic, seems willing to contend for the presidency for a second time, despite his bad performance in the opinion polls. In addition to Sarkozy there are various other potential candidates, which include incumbent Managing Director of IMF, Dominique Strass-Kahn. In opinion polls Martine Aubry, François Hollande and Ségolène Royal are also gaining.
So how will Joly, a mere two year old toddler in the political arena, perform in such a close race for the Elysees Palace? Only time will tell!
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