Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was brought in for questioning in connection with the 'influence peddling' charges brought up against him. The 59 year old is accused of throwing his weight at the time unto the justice system for in formation.
It is alleged that Sarkozy was worried about the behaviour of his parties elite, as there was an investigation into some of the practices of he and his party mates.
Prosecutors were seeking to establish whether Sarkozy promised a top-level job to a magistrate in Monaco in return for information as to whether corruption charges brought up against him would go to trial. As usual, Sarkozy denies any wrong doing and says the interrogation was a 'political probe'. Sarkozy was subjected to 15 hours of questioning, the first of it's kind for any French President.
Sarkozy was hoping for a comeback in 2017, after losing to Francois Hollande in what was seen by many as a disgraceful defeat. The sudden interrogation comes after Sarkozy's lawyer and two magistrates were arrested and put under formal investigation just a few hours earlier. Under French law, being sent before the court would be the next step before a possible formal investigation against a suspect, but this step almost always never leads to trial, especially against high-ranking individuals like a former president.
Sarkozy had been hoping to benefit from the disfunctional state of his party, and it's lack of leadership to be their presidential candidate for 2017. It should be noted that his centre-right UMP party is itself involved in several allegations. He also saw the dismal approval ratings of current president Francois Holland (last poll put him at 17% overall approval) as an opportunity to re-take the Palais de l'Elysées. This probe has obviously tarnished his road to the presidency.
Over the years, Sarkozy hof scandals. First was the scandal l'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt where it is alleged Sarkozy received envelopes full of cash (illegal donations) from the Mme Bettencourt to the tune of tens of thousands of euros.
There is also the Gaddafi scandal where he is accused of having received up to the sum of $70mn (the amount differs according to the source) from the late Lybian leader for his campaign. French law prevents any candidate from receiving cash payments above £6300. It was information concerning the investigation of this case that he sought when he allegedly 'abused' his power. He may have just proven himself. Ghadafi's payment is alleged to have come through bank accounts in Switzerland and Panama.
It is alleged that in formation aobtained by tapping the former president's phone and listening to his conversations with his lawyer Thierry Herzog showed that he'd been 'abusing his power'. Investigators were looking to gather evidence to support allegations he received money from gaddafi for his 2007 campaign. When he discovered his phone had been compromised, he acquired another name under the pseudonym Paul Bismuth to safely communicate with his lawyers.
Ever since the interrogation, his supporters have come out in support of him.
No comments:
Post a Comment