Sarkozy now under formal investigation for ‘exploiting’ L’Oreal heiress
"Nicolas Sarkozy, who benefits from the presumption of innocence, had been notified that he has been placed under formal investigation for taking advantage of a vulnerable person in February 2007 and during 2007 to the detriment of Liliane Bettencourt," the prosecutor said in Bordeaux after a hearing yesterday.
In France, a formal investigation is the final step before a suspect is accused of a crime and Sarkozy has repeatedly denied taking campaign funds from Bettencourt.
On the matter, TV channel BFM quoted Sarkozy's lawyer, Thierry Herzog, as saying that the decision was "incoherent and unjust" and that he would appeal.
According to various litigation experts, if found guilty, the 57-year-old will face a maximum three-year jail sentence and a hefty fine, but the damage however to his political career could be irreversible.
On going battle
This news comes after Cosmetics Design reported back in November that Sarkozy was to appear before a judge in response to claims that he accepted illegal funds from L'Oréal cosmetics heiress for his presidential campaign back in 2007.
Then, magistrates of the courts designated him an 'assisted witness' which meant at the time that unless new evidence is uncovered to place Sarkozy under formal investigation, he will not face trial at the end of the inquiry.
This appearance was the first time Sarkozy had officially been summonded on the matter since losing the presidency and legal immunity in May 2012, and police searching his home and office in July of that year.
Case re-opened
In 2011, a judge who investigated donations by the L’Oreal heiress to fund Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign claimed that personal donations did in fact exchange hands.
The revelation re-opened the case that had already rocked French politics and the reputation of the L’Oreal name for a year previous, triggered by a legal challenge from Bettencourt’s daughter over whether or not she was capable of managing her day-to-day business affairs.
The claims were published in a book, entitled ‘Sarko m’a tuer’ (Sarkozy killed me), authored by two investigative journalists from the French national broadsheet Le Monde, which contained an interview with the reputable magistrate Isabelle Prevost-Deprez.
