France’s Sarkozy to face trial for corruption, influence peddling

Nicolas Sarkozy will face trial over charges he misused his influence to secure leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign. The case came about after an investigation into separate allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign. (Reuters)

PARIS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will face trial over charges he misused his influence to secure leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign, Le Monde reported on Thursday.
The case came about after investigators used phone-taps to examine separate allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi funded Sarkozy’s campaign and began to suspect he had kept tabs on a separate case through a network of informants.
Sarkozy’s lawyer was not immediately available for comment.
Sarkozy has faced multiple corruption investigations since leaving office in 2012. He was handed preliminary charges just last week in the most shocking affair: accusations that he took millions in illegal campaign financing from then-Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
In a separate case, a judicial official said Thursday that Sarkozy was ordered to stand trial on accusations that he tried to illegally obtain information from a magistrate about yet another investigation involving Sarkozy.
The former president, 63, can appeal the order, and no potential trial date has been set. He has denied wrongdoing.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Thierry Herzog, is also being ordered to stand trial, along with former magistrate Gilbert Azibert. Sarkozy and Herzog did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.
Sarkozy has objected to the case because part of the investigation is based on information gleaned from tapped phone conversations between him and his lawyer.
Sarkozy and Herzog are suspected of promising the magistrate a job in Monaco in exchange for leaking information about an investigation into suspected illegal financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign by France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
Thursday’s announcement marks the second time so far in which Sarkozy has been sent to trial.
Last year, a judge ordered a trial for Sarkozy and 13 others on charges of illegal financing of his 2012 presidential campaign. In that case, his conservative party and a company named Bygmalion are accused of using a special invoice system to conceal unauthorized overspending.
Sarkozy appealed that order to stand trial, and a decision on his appeal is pending.
The Qaddafi investigation, meanwhile, is ongoing.
Sarkozy has said he’s been unfairly targeted by investigators for political reasons.
Sarkozy failed to win his party’s primary for the 2017 presidential election and has largely stayed out of politics since then.