Nicolas Sarkozy: Ex-president goes on trial for illegal campaign funding
Nicolas Sarkozy, former president of France, is going on trial for illegally funding his 2012 re-election campaign. Mr Sarkozy, who denies the charges, stands accused with 13 other defendants over their role in the so-called “Bygmalion” scandal. They allegedly overspent by tens of millions of euros on the campaign, and hired a PR firm to cover it up. It is the ex-president’s latest legal fight, after being convicted of corruption earlier this year. The trial was supposed to start in March, but had to be postponed because a lawyer fell ill with Covid-19.
France sets strict limits on campaign spending. But prosecutors claim Mr Sarkozy’s UMP party splurged nearly double the €22.5m (£19.4m) cap on lavish campaign rallies and events. To hide the costs, it allegedly hired a PR firm called Bygmalion to invoice the party, not the campaign. While prosecutors admit they cannot prove Mr Sarkozy organised or was involved in the scheme, they say he must have been aware of it.(BBC)…[+]