Nicolas Sarkozy was put in custody this morning as part of a police investigation into allegations that he received millions of euros in illegal financing during his 2007 presidential campaign from the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
According to Le Monde, Sarkozy – who has denied wrongdoing since the investigation was launched in 2013 – is being held at the Nanterre police station, west of Paris. He could be detained for up to 48 hours as he answers questions about the funding for his 2007 presidential campaign, in which he defeated the Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal. The alleged payments would contravene the maximum funding limit of 21m euros and also breach rules prohibiting foreign financing and requiring the declaration of the source of campaign funds.
Although it is the first time Sarkozy has been officially questioned about his 2007 campaign, the former president is scheduled to stand trial later this year over allegations that his centre-right UMP party falsified accounts in order to hide an €18m (£15m) overspend during his unsuccessful 2012 presidential campaign, what is known as the Bygmalion
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