France’s voters gave their verdict on former president Nicolas Sarkozy long before last Monday’s criminal court ruling. But he also faces further court hearings later this month on alleged overspending during his 2012 re-election campaign. And Sarkozy’s successful 2007 presidential campaign is still the focus of ongoing investigations involving allegations of illicit Libyan funding. As were Sarkozy’s former political mentor Charles Pasqua and former chief of staff Michel Gaudin. No doubt some remembered that it was the same president who once mocked magistrates as indistinguishable peas in a pod.

Source: The Irish Times March 07, 2021 19:30 UTC