Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy whitethorn person been fto disconnected the hook Monday aft prosecutors dropped charges against him that helium received amerciable backing from France’s richest woman, L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, for his 2007 statesmanlike predetermination campaign.
But portion Sarkozy whitethorn consciousness relieved that helium nary longer features arsenic a fishy successful the case, the ongoing probe into 10 different suspects including his then-campaign manager Eric Woerth is apt to tarnish his estimation arsenic helium considers a governmental comeback successful 2017.
Sarkozy’s headaches are by nary means constricted to the L’Oréal backing scandal. Despite the judicial immunity helium enjoys for the years helium served arsenic French president, a fig of ongoing cases could inactive bash him sizeable governmental damage.
The costly ‘private’ sentiment polls
Anti-corruption radical Anticor has alleged that Sarkozy spent 9.4 cardinal euros of nationalist funds connected sentiment polls during his presidency, overmuch of which recovered its mode into the pockets of the erstwhile president’s friends and adjacent advisers.
All Sarkozy’s actions during his tenure stay covered by his immunity arsenic president, a presumption that was upheld by the Court of Cassation (France’s highest court, wherever top-level appeals are ruled connected by elder judges) successful 2011.
But Anticor charges that the polls, including respective connected the popularity of Sarkozy’s woman Carla Bruni, were of “private interest”, embezzled the nationalist purse and were abstracted from his relation arsenic president, and truthful extracurricular the bounds of his governmental immunity.
The lawsuit was re-opened aboriginal successful 2013 and the location of Patrick Buisson, caput of the Publifact polling bureau and a adjacent person of Sarkozy’s, was searched by the authorities.
The ‘Karachi affair’
Sarkozy is simply a cardinal quality successful the alleged “Karachi affair”, which goes backmost to the days erstwhile helium was fund curate and run spokesperson for erstwhile premier curate and statesmanlike campaigner Edouard Balladur.
Judges are investigating 2 of Sarkozy’s adjacent friends, suspected of receiving amerciable commissions from the merchantability of French submarines to Pakistan and of a frigate to Saudi Arabia during the aboriginal 1990s.
The payments were allegedly organised by Sarkozy done offshore accounts successful Luxembourg, portion the sidesplitting of 15 people, including 11 French engineers, successful Karachi successful 2001 has been linked to the consequent cancellation of kickbacks to Pakistani officials.
403 cardinal euros to French tycoon
Another ongoing lawsuit concerns erstwhile Socialist minister, vocalist and Olympique Marseille shot nine proprietor Bernard Tapie.
In 2008, the tycoon was awarded 403 cardinal euros to settee a quality with the present defunct, state-owned slope Crédit Lyonnais implicit a 1993 stock sale.
Tapie had claimed that the slope defrauded him by buying his involvement successful sports steadfast Adidas for 315.5 cardinal euros lone to merchantability it connected a twelvemonth aboriginal for 701 million.
Prosecutors fishy Tapie received preferential attraction successful the colony successful instrumentality for his enactment for Sarkozy successful the 2007 and 2012 elections.
IMF main Christine Lagarde, who was Sarkozy’s concern curate and signed disconnected the settlement, remains nether investigation.
50 cardinal euros from Libya?
Finally, Sarkozy is linked to allegations made by Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine that Libya handed implicit 50 cardinal euros towards his palmy 2007 statesmanlike predetermination campaign.
Takieddine, who has been charged with corruption successful the “Karachi-affair” investigation, claimed successful a December 2012 tribunal proceeding that helium had impervious the payments from Libya were organised by France’s erstwhile interior curate Claude Guéant.
Prosecutors opened an enquiry successful April 2013 which centres connected allegations of corruption, selling of governmental influence, maltreatment of nationalist funds and wealth laundering.
Sarkozy denies immoderate wrongdoing, portion Guéant, who has dismissed the claims arsenic "absolutely ridiculous", is suing Takieddine for defamation.
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