Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was formally placed under investigation Thursday for alleged illegal campaign financing during his 2007 campaign, AFP reported Friday.
The preliminary investigation will examine accusations that Sarkozy received improper campaign contributions from the world’s richest woman, Lillianne Bettencourt. At the time of Sarkozy’s campaign, Bettencourt was 84 years old and suffering from dementia.
The probe into Sarkozy’s campaign funds began in September of 2011 while he was still president, according to news reports. The former president was first questioned in November regarding statements made by Bettencourt’s former accountant. .
After 12 hours of questioning, authorities said they’ had decided not to pursue a formal investigation against Sarkozy, but in June of 2012, two months after Sarkozy was defeated in his bid for another term as president, police raided his home and office for further evidence, according to his lawyer, Thierry Herzog.
Nearly a dozen people in Sarkozy’s circle are under investigation in the Bettencourt case, the Economist reported. But this is the first time France’s former president himself became a formal suspect.
Herzog has said that he intends to appeal the ruling.