French Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy Questioned In Corruption Probe


Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was detained and questioned in a corruption probe related to his 2007 election campaign. The prosecutor’s office placed the former president under formal investigation on Wednesday, saying Sarkozy will face charges he tried to use his influence to thwart an investigation of the campaign.

The step often leads to trial and is a major setback to the ex-president’s hope of a comeback after his defeat by Socialist rival Francois Hollande in 2012, according to the New York Daily News.

Sarkozy denies all wrongdoing in a string of investigations that either directly or indirectly implicate him. Magistrates are looking into whether the ex-president used his influence politically to secure leaked details of an inquiry into supposed irregularities in his 2007 campaign. He is suspected of influence-peddling, corruption, and benefiting from “the breach of professional secrets,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

Sarkozy was taken into police custody in Nanterre, a Paris suburb, and held for nearly 15 hours before he was transferred to a court early Wednesday. Once there, he met with investigating magistrates who will run the inquiry. Attorneys for Nicolas Sarkozy’s attorney and a judge involved in the probe announced that their clients were also placed under formal investigation.

Hours after he was placed under formal investigation, Sarkozy lashed out at the prosecution. The New York Times reports that the former French president proclaimed his innocence and expressed outrage at the case. He claimed he was being manipulated for political ends.

Nicolas Sarkozy explained to the French broadcaster TF1, “I am profoundly shocked by what happened.” He added, “The situation was sufficiently grave for me to tell the French people about the political exploitation of a part of the justice system today.”

The former president called the accusations against him “grotesque,” adding that he is angry that his private conversations were secretly recorded by investigators.

Sarkozy’s comments on Wednesday underscored the high political stakes in the case, which could ultimately determine whether the former president has a chance to make a comeback in the political arena. Legal experts explained to the New York Times that the decision to open a formal inquiry suggests investigators have enough evidence to link Sarkozy to a crime.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls added, “The situation is serious; the facts are grave. As the head of the government, I’m asking that we recall the independence of the justice system, which must carry out its work serenely.”

Nicolas Sarkozy is the first former president in modern France to be detained and questioned by police.

[Image by Guillaume Paumier]

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