Le Pen sells party HQ to Chinese

Le Pen looking glum

France's anti-immigrant party, the National Front, is selling its headquarters to a Chinese university, according to the party leader.

Jean-Marie Le Pen has confirmed that the party base has been purchased by a Shanghai university.

Mr Le Pen, 79, has campaigned to become president several times under the slogan "Keep France for the French". But his party faces growing financial difficulties. It has already sold its bullet-proof car on eBay. The party has a total debt of some 9m euros ($13.4m; £7m), according to French newspaper Le Monde, partly due to a poor showing in the 2007 legislative elections which meant it had to cover its own campaign costs.

"A formal sale offer has been signed with a university in Shanghai," the National Front's press service said, quoted by AFP.

The unnamed Chinese higher education institution has reportedly paid between 12 and 15m euros ($18 - 22m; £9.4m - 11.7m) for the sprawling mansion in the western Paris suburb of Saint Cloud, known as The Cruiseliner. The university is reportedly considering turning the building into a French language school. The building, thought to be the party's biggest asset, was inherited from a millionaire supporter in the 1970s.

The organisation has already had some bank accounts frozen after disagreements with creditors.

Right-wing firebrand Mr Le Pen startled Europe by reaching the second round of the 2002 presidential election. In 2007, he achieved some 10% of votes in the presidential race.

BBC