PARIS - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation by magistrates in Paris on Wednesday morning on suspicion of influence peddling and other crimes in connection with a campaign leaks probe, the prosecutor's office said.
It was the second time the former president, who was defeated by Socialist Francois Hollande in 2012, was placed under such a judicial probe since he lost his legal immunity after leaving office. Sarkozy has denied any wrongdoing.
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console.log("catid body is "+catID);if(catID==120){document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none";var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js'; script.setAttribute('pubname','jpostcom'); script.setAttribute('widgetname','0011r00001lcD1i_12258'); document.getElementsByClassName('divAnyClip')[0].appendChild(script);}else if(catID!=69 && catID!=2){ document.getElementsByClassName("divConnatix")[0].style.display ="none"; var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://static.vidazoo.com/basev/vwpt.js'; script.setAttribute('data-widget-id','60fd6becf6393400049e6535'); document.getElementsByClassName('divVidazoo')[0].appendChild(script); }Under French law, being placed under formal investigation indicates there exists "serious or consistent evidence" pointing to probable implication of a suspect in a crime.
The case relates to suspicions he used his influence to get information on an investigation into funding irregularities in his victorious 2007 election campaign.