Sarkozy faces 10 years in jail if convicted on graft charges
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FORMER French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with corruption and influence peddling, French prosecutors said yesterday, a dramatic move in a criminal investigation that could wreck his hopes of a political comeback.
The decision came after Sarkozy was questioned for 15 hours, the first time a French ex-head of state has been taken into custody in a criminal investigation.
The right-wing leader had been detained at a police station in a Paris suburb over a suspected attempt to illegally influence judicial proceedings in one of a raft of corruption cases he has been linked to.
After questioning, the former president was taken before a judge, where he was “mis en examen” — put under formal investigation in what amounts to being charged, based on preliminary evidence — the prosecution said in a statement. He was then released.
If convicted of the charges, Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in jail.
Sarkozy’s longtime lawyer Thierry Herzog and a magistrate, Gilbert Azibert — who were taken into custody a day earlier alongside another magistrate — were both charged with influence peddling in a late-night court appearance, their respective lawyers said.
Investigators suspect Sarkozy tried to obtain inside information from one of the magistrates about confidential proceedings in an illegal election campaign financing case, and that he was tipped off by a senior figure when judges tapped his phones.
Sarkozy, 59, has faced virtually non-stop legal battles since he left office following his defeat by Socialist candidate Francois Hollande in the 2012 presidential vote.
He had been expected to attempt a political comeback in time for the next presidential poll in 2017, but those plans could now be torpedoed.
He denies any wrongdoing, and his allies denounced what they see as a witch-hunt.
“Never before has a former president been subjected to such treatment, such an unleashing of hate,” said Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice and an MP for Sarkozy’s UMP party.
The case was launched after judges looking into the alleged financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign by former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi obtained authorization to tap the former president’s phones from April 2013.
They discovered Sarkozy had a secret phone registered under an assumed name, and recordings from that device led to the opening of the influence peddling investigation.
The Gadhafi investigation is ongoing, as are several other cases, including a long-running probe into allegations he helped organize kickbacks from a Pakistan arms deal before becoming president.
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