Doubts over the political funding of Nicolas Sarkozy returned to haunt the French ex-president on Wednesday when the prosecutor said investigators had questioned him in an affair that could cloud his chance of a re-election bid in 2017. Reuters report:
The interrogation came days after his center-right UMP party beat the ruling Socialists in local elections, a victory seen as boosting Sarkozy’s prospects of running again for president. At issue is whether it was legal for the UMP to pay the over 500,000 euros of fines he incurred for over-spending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign. In France, it is the candidate who should personally pay these fines.
Sarkozy spent about five hours at the Paris offices of the financial crimes unit, French TV channels reported. The prosecutor’s office then announced Sarkozy had been named an “assisted witness” in the overspending case — a special status short of being placed under formal investigation but which means there is some evidence of possible implication.
Sarkozy said back in December that the repayment arranged by his UMP party had the approval of the finance ministry. He has since reimbursed the money.
