PARIS, Nov 8, 2009 (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office on Sunday denied it was seeking favourable treatment when an advisor called a grant-giving body to find out why one of Sarkozy's sons was not given an award.

The denial came after the Civil Society of Phonographic Producers (SCPP), which groups French record labels, said that Sarkozy's office had called to find out why his eldest son Pierre had been turned down for a grant.

It also came after Pierre's 23-year-old brother Jean last month gave up on his bid for a job running France's top business district after he became embroiled in a bitter nepotism row.

Pierre himself called the SCPP in October after an application from his Minds Corporation label, the first such application he had made, for a music-producing grant was turned down.

But SCPP head Marc Guez said that "he didn't get a reply as the person who deals with applications doesn't have time, given that we turn down 30 to 40 applications a month."

Sarkozy's culture and communication advisor, Eric Garandeau, then contacted Guez "to know why the application was turned down, but without giving the name of Pierre Sarkozy which I didn't know had any link to the company," Guez said.

Garandeau "explicitly mentioned that there was no question of asking for favourable treatment," Guez said in a statement.

Contacted by AFP, Garandeau said his behaviour was entirely normal and "at no time did the Elysee (Sarkozy's office) ask for a decision to go one way or another."

"I'm constantly asked by producers who have been turned down for a grant and I systematically ask the reasons for the refusal," Garandeau said.

Pierre Sarkzoy turned to him and "I did for him what I did for the others," said Garandeau.

The SCPP said that Pierre's application had been turned down because his Minds Corporation was not a member of the SCPP, but that if it joined then its applications should have better luck.