However, he was haunted by scandals throughout his political career. Almost "good morning" in the presidency of France (in May 2007) Nicolas Sarkozy faced a series of financial scandals that dropped his popularity to 26%!
In this case, however, the judges saw for the first time in the chair a former president of the Fifth French Republic: Sarkozy. Prosecutors proposed a two-year prison sentence, plus a two-year suspension. The prosecutor's proposal comes after a two-week trial, for offenses punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of one million euros.
The main "bling bling", as the nickname for the expensive glasses - mirrors he wore during his presidency - is being tried for "corruption and unfair influence" with his co-accused friend and lawyer (in other cases), Thierry Erzog . The former French president appeared at the trial and when he spoke yesterday, he denounced "slander and defamation" against him.
Sarkozy, 65, appeared in court yesterday hand in hand with his wife Carla Bruni. The former model gathered the eyes, wearing a black tight dress and a purple fabric mask.
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For the past six years, Sarkozy has tried to shut down the case, denouncing it as a "scandal that will go down in history." The prosecution, however, accuses him of transferring a favorable transfer to Monaco to Gilbert Aziber, a senior judge at the time, in exchange for confidential information about his investigation into illegal financing of his 2007 election campaign by the heiress of the company "L 'Oreal' Lillian Betancourt.
The prosecution cites evidence of Sarkozy's telephone conversations with Thierry Erzog's lawyer, the recording of which was approved by judges as it was investigating illegal funding of Sarkozy's campaign from Libya. Sarkozy, who had bought a cell phone under the pseudonym "Paul Bismuth" for his secret conversations with his lawyer, investigators found, and Ercog complained that recording their phone calls violated the client-lawyer's right to privacy, but with In its 2016 ruling the court confirmed that they could be used as evidence.
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The scandals that haunt Sarkozy
In July 2014, an investigation was launched against him for bribery, unfair influence and admission of breach of professional secrecy. It is alleged that he and his lawyer tried to obtain confidential information from another judge about another case involving him. In return he promised to intervene so that this judge could be appointed to a position of prestige in Monaco. For this case, he is sitting in the chair today.
In September 2014, a few days after announcing that he was returning to the French political scene, the Paris Court of Appeals suspended the investigation against the former president, who will be formally prosecuted in July.
Wiretapping
French Justice is investigating how the former president was informed that his telephone communications were being monitored. His monitoring began as part of an investigation into allegations that Gaddafi's campaign finance was funded in 2007.
The investigation into the unlawful influence emerged from conversations between Sarkozy and his lawyer. Since April 2013, French justice has been investigating allegations that Sarkozy's campaign finance was financed by Libya, mainly through arms dealer Jiad Takiedin.
The Gaddafi case
The former French president is accused of a "strange loan" of 50 million euros that he allegedly received in 2007 from Muammar Gaddafi for his election expenses, money which was "laundered" through bank accounts in Switzerland and Panama. But the gifts did not stop there. And in 2012 he received an indefinite amount from "persons of French society". Sarkozy's walk through the streets of Paris with the elderly multimillionaire, heiress of the cosmetics giant "L'Oreal", Lillian Betancourt, secured him large brown envelopes full of cash. The tea offered to him by the Gaddafi Amazons in the "tent" of the former Libyan leader, together with the money of his generous donors, filled the coffers of his election campaign, and so in 2007, Sarkozy set out for the presidency.
The fat wallet led him to the Palais des Champs-Elysées and, in conjunction with power, he managed to have his third wife, Carla Bruni, for whose eyes he left his second wife, Cecilia, in the cold of the bath.
Betancourt scandal
Sarkozy's staff had fought with the media to justify the L'Oreal scandal. Labor Minister Eric Wert is accused of taking 150.000 euros "under the table" from then-87-year-old Lillian Betancourt, a major shareholder in the colossal cosmetics company L'Oreal, to fund Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign.
In an interview with the research site Mediapart, the former accountant of the billionaire businessman confirmed that the Betancourt family supported Sarkozy's political campaigns with money files. The French president had declared outrage after these revelations, declaring that everything was a lie. "Horror and slander, which have no other purpose than to tarnish the government. There is no trace of truth in all this, "said the French president, who, however, did not seem to convince anyone.
As for Eric Wert, the minister who allegedly made the financial "delivery" from Betancourt's funds to Sarkozy's's funds, his reaction was immediate and angry: "I know what I have and what I have not done. I am a whole person and honest. This is nonsense. Where is the evidence? " said Wert angrily. The latter is not a strong argument in the conscience of the French people. The fact that there is no evidence yet does not mean that the accusations are a figment of the imagination of the former Betancourt accountant.
The L'Oreal scandal, however, was the icing on the cake in all the scandals against Sarkozy and his ministers. After cigars, private jet travel and accommodation in expensive government's expensive hotels, this was the last straw…
The case of Bernard Tapie
Sarkozy is accused of this case: Investigators suspect that the arbitration, which resulted in a decision in July 2008 giving Bernard Tapie 403 million euros to settle his dispute with Crédit Lyonnais over resale of the sportswear company Adidas, was the result of a scam to profit the businessman, with the consent of the Elysium. Sarkozy was a resident of the presidential palace at the time.
Sarkozy's martyrdom - 15 hours in custody
In July 2014, the martyrdom of Nicolas Sarkozy lasted 15 hours. After leaving the service of the French police authorities in the city of Nanterre, in the deep dawn he was transferred to a court where he heard from the judges the bad news: that a judicial investigation is being launched against him as he was found suspected of unfair influence and bribery. . With his head down and visibly troubled, the camera captured Sarkozy going from Nanterre to court.
The Sarkozy system, as many of the former president's associates are called by the French media - his lawyer and two top judges involved in the case - has also been formally prosecuted as suspected of exercising undue influence, their lawyers said.
The newspaper "Le Monde", however, claimed that Sarkozy is accustomed to such adventures. This is the second time that the former president, who lost his presidential immunity from legal action a month after his presidential term ended in June 2012, is under judicial investigation. The first was in 2013 in the "Betancourt" case, in which Sarkozy was found apologizing for the money that went into the fund of his election campaign by the old multimillionaire of the company L'Oreal, but the judges later abandoned the case against him.
Bygmalion case
Sarkozy was held accountable to the French people in February 2016, fighting for his political survival after the Paris Financial Prosecutor's Office announced that it was under judicial investigation for "possible illegal financing of a candidate's election campaign, the expenses of which exceeded the legal ». This is the "Bygmalion" case concerning the fund of the French Right party.
Sarkozy will sit on the bench accused of illegally financing his election campaign in 2012, the French Agency had reported the news, citing a judicial source. It is recalled that the Paris prosecutor's office had requested last September the referral of Sarkozy "for exceeding the limit of election expenses" and the "reference" to the account of his election campaign "elements that were deliberately calculated lower".
The investigation had uncovered fictitious invoices issued to cover up the € 18,5 billion overrun of the pre-election spending limit, which had been set at € 22,5 billion. More specifically, the public relations company Bygmalion allegedly charged 18,5 million euros to Sarkozy's center-right party instead of charging them in its election campaign, avoiding the ceiling on the sidewalk. Bygmalion executives have admitted the irregularities, but the question is whether Nicolas Sarkozy was aware of the case or, even worse, whether he was the one who gave the "orders". However, he has repeatedly denied that he was aware of the undeclared expense. Along with the former president of France, another 13 suspects were referred.
