Sarkozy faces witness tampering charges now

PARIS: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was placed under formal investigation on Friday for suspected witness tampering and fraud, as part of a probe into whether he received illegal Libyan funding for his successful 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy, due to go on trial in 2025 over the accusations, has denied wrongdoing.

In the latest probe, Sarkozy is accused of interfering with a witness and criminal association with a view to committing fraud.

The conservative former president had been questioned by a judge since Tuesday in a probe launched in May 2021, after French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine gave media interviews retracting an earlier account that he had delivered Libyan funds to help Sarkozy.