In general we expect politicians and especially political leaders to be trustworthy individuals; they have the considerable responsibility of shaping our countries’ futures after all. We present the evidence, past and present, that some of Europe’s most influential leaders are far from being the upstanding moral citizens they would claim to be.

Italy

Italy’s current Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has made it impossible for the country to be left off the list of famous political scandals. Recently he has gained much media attention, not for his political successes rather for his rumoured relationships with various women. Berlusconi was faced with a very public divorce when his wife felt she could no longer be with a man who failed to turn up to his children’s 18th birthday parties but somehow found the time to attend a similar event for a beautiful teenage model. Despite the scandalous accusations, the 72-year-old Italian PM is still adamantly voicing his innocence, even though he is now facing fresh accusations concerning a young escort.  He may refuse to listen to the so-called slander, but audio tapes have now surfaced of a conversation between Berlusconi and high-end prostitute Patrizia D’Addario. Berlusconi’s lawyer was quick to refute any evidence that the tapes may contain.

France

Francois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterand was the president of France between the  1981 and 1995. Mitterand had a string of extra-marital affairs, one of which resulted in the birth of a daughter, Mazarine. For many years the French president desperately sought secrecy, until 1994 when the onslaught of bad health and the gradual loss of his political power meant that Mitterand no longer could keep things hidden.

Mitterand also came under attack for his questionable political actions. In 1992, Mitterand arranged to have a wreath of flowers laid at the grave of Philippe Petain. Petain had been celebrated for his efforts in World War I but later collaborated with Nazi Germany.

Moscow

In 2006 the Chechen Prime Minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, was ousted for his involvement in a sex scandal. Whether the scandal had any basis in fact, it was certainly damaging for him as married man with children who was previously known as a devout Muslim. His morals were questioned as he had made a stance against gambling as well as encouraging Chechen women to wear headscarves. Kadyrov was branded a fake as his strong views on Islam were soon torn apart when video footage of his sexual encounters surfaced.

France

Back in France again, Nicolas Sarkozy has been plagued by scandals in the run up to, and since his election as President of the Republic. From rumours of extra-marital affairs, to his tempestuous relationship with ex-wife, Cecelia, Sarkozy has made some headlines.  In  2006, during the run-up to his presidential campaign, he  was wrongly accused of holding secret foreign bank accounts which were used for depositing considerable sums of money that Sarkozy received as bribes. Sarkozy was forced to battle against the media as well as his political opposition in order to prove his innocence and show that this was in fact a smear campaign designed to tarnish his reputation  This time, however, Sarkozy was able to use the media attention as a means of gaining sympathy having been wrongly accused.

Germany

With the beginning of a new millennium came a whole new set of problems for Germany as a political scandal threatened to tarnish the reputation of German politics. Evidence came to light that undeclared contributions had been made towards Helmut Kohl’s Christian Democrat party, CDU, by arms dealer Karlheinz Schreiber. Kohl had illegally accepted donated funds worth up to several million deutsche marks. The undeclared political donations caused a media furore in Germany and across Europe

With computer files and key documents missing, Mr Kohl’s administration rapidly lost the trust and confidnece of its supporters. Luckily for Kohl, the scandal came to light in 1999 after the end of his career as Chancellor of Germany.

United Kingdom

In recent months, the British Parliament has come under severe scrutiny as evidence was made public about MPs misusing their right to claim allowances and expenses. In June 2009 a list was published detailing of all of the approved expenses claims. And from pay-per-view erotic films to ornamental duck houses, claiming for anything and everything seemed to have become very much part of assuming political duties in the UK. To add insult to injury, many British MPs had evaded tax payments as well. Over recent months numerous MPs have been forced resign in order to save themselves the  embarrassment of being fired. The expenses scandal has caused widespread political mistrust in the UK and it will be struggle for MPs to regain the British public’s trust.

Belarus

Famous for his authoritarian rule, the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, wields power over his people with the help of the KGB. His victory in every presidential election he has partaken in comes as no surprise to the Western world. Despite Belarussion legislation stipulating that politicians may serve a maximum of two terms as president,  a 2004 referendum abolished this limit, and Lukashenko caused a stir when he was re-elected. To this day, Lukashenko continues to rule Belarus with an iron fist, claiming that any of his opposition will be viewed and treated as terrorists.