Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is accused of illegally financing the 2012 presidential election campaign.
This was reported by the British television and radio company BBC.
The trial in the case against the former president of France was supposed to begin in March, but due to the fact that Sarkozy’s lawyer fell ill with COVID-19, they had to be postponed.
Nicolas Sarkozy is accused of violating the legal limit on campaign expenses. Sarkozy allegedly spent almost 22.5 million euros on the campaign almost twice the norm. To cover illegal expenses, the PR company Bygmalion was hired, which billed its services not to the president but to his political party.
At present, prosecutors admit that they cannot prove that it was Sarkozy who organized or participated in the scheme, but they claim that the ex-president was aware of its existence. Sarkozy denies his own guilt. He faces a year in prison and a 3,750-euro fine if convicted.
Nicolas Sarkozy was the 23rd president of France and headed it in 2007-2012.
Earlier, a Paris court found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and abuse of influence. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
