Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was detained Tuesday for questioning as part of an inquiry into alleged abuse of power and influence peddling during his 2007 election campaign, Reuters reported. It is the first time that a former head of state has been held for questioning in modern French history.
Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has denied any wrongdoing in a string of investigations which could derail his hopes of a come-back presidency in 2017 after his defeat to Francois Hollande in 2012's presidential election, a legal source said. Investigators interrogated the conservative politician early Tuesday at their offices in Nanterre, west of Paris, after his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, was held for questioning on Monday.
Asked about the matter, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said Sarkozy was "subject to justice just like everyone else." "Justice authorities are investigating and have to go all the way," he told i-Tele.
The 59-year-old former leader is the focus of an investigation launched in February into whether he sought to use his influence to seek inside information about an earlier separate inquiry about allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had made illegal donations to his 2007 election campaign. By using a network of well-connected informants, investigators suspect Sarkozy and his lawyer kept tabs on the case, which eventually came to light following evidence from phone taps.
"When he discovered his phone was tapped, Sarkozy allegedly obtained another phone under the pseudonym Paul Bismuth, to talk to his lawyer," The Guardian reported. "In the taped conversations, detectives allegedly heard information that Herzog had been tipped off by a magistrate about a legal decision over yet another police investigation into whether or not Sarkozy also accepted illegal campaign funds from France's richest woman, the L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt."
Tuesday's questioning followed the arrest of Herzog and two magistrates, Gilbert Azibert and Patrick Sassoust, who are under investigation for allegedly using their influence to obtain information about legal cases against Sarkozy, according to BBC News. Detectives are trying to establish whether the former leader promised a top-level job in Monaco to Azibert in return for letting him know whether corruption allegations against him would go to court.
The case is one of six legal investigations involving Sarkozy, including a new one this year into separate irregularities in his unsuccessful 2012 election campaign, Reuters reported.
