Sarkozy's mother-in-law's septic tank dispute sees prefect being removed

London, June 16 (ANI): French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly signed an order to remove the prefect of the region where Carla Bruni's parents own a chateau, after he failed to end a long-running dispute over a septic tank.

Jacques Laisne has been given no new posting after his failure to resolve the septic tank dispute in Cap Nhgre, Lavandou, an exclusive Mediterranean coastal area.

Sarkozy's in-laws, the Bruni-Tedeschis, have been entangled in the dispute with locals on the Riviera since 2003 over removing individual septic tanks in favour of the costly, but less smelly alternative: a centralised, communal sewerage system.n August last year, the President caused a sensation by turning up to an owners' meeting on the issue with his mother-in-law, Marisa Bruni.

Most of the 58 owners concerned were reluctant to pay for the new set-up.

However, speaking on behalf of his mother-in-law, Sarkozy promised that the State would come up with the required funds.

According to reports, a deal appeared to have been concluded during a second meeting at the Bruni-Tedeschi chateau, which tok place in the presence of the prefect.

However, with the summer holidays fast-approaching, the sewerage system has still not been changed.

Jacques Huetz, who wants to keep the septic tank system, says that the prefect had changed his mind on the issue.

"The prefect had changed his view to one that was much more favourable to us, and clearly less under Mr Sarkozy's orders," the Telegraph quoted him as telling the Mediapart news website.

Neither the Elysee palace nor the interior ministry were available for comment. (ANI)