France’s highest appeals court on Tuesday rejected a bid by former
President Nicolas Sarkozy to avoid facing trial over the alleged illegal
financing of his failed re-election campaign in 2012.
The decision by the French “Cour de Cassation” means the case will now return to prosecutors who will decide whether
Sarkozy should be tried. He denies any wrongdoing.
The so-called
“Bygmalion” case
against Sarkozy centres on accusations that the former president’s
political party, then known as the UMP, worked with a public relations
firm to hide the true cost of his re-election bid.
France sets strict limits on campaign spending. Prosecutors say the
PR firm, Bygmalion, invoiced the UMP rather than the campaign, allowing
Sarkozy to spend almost double the permitted amount.
Even though
investigating magistrates found no evidence that Sarkozy set up the
fraudulent system, took part in it or was even informed about it, they
said they considered it unlikely that he had left it solely to staff to
take decisions on such matters.
Read more at: Appeals court orders former French president Sarkozy to stand trial for illegal campaign financing
