Criminal investigation

Nicolas Sarkozy to face trial over 2012 campaign financing

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is to face trial for alleged fraudulent financing of his failed 2012 bid for re-election, a legal source has said.

The case centres on an alleged system of false accounting used by Sarkozy’s officeto conceal an enormous campaign overspend, mainly on the lavish rallies and US-style stadium gigs that cemented Sarkozy’s reputation as a political showman.

The limit on presidential campaign spending in France is €22.5m (£19.5m), and investigators suspect Sarkozy’s campaign spent €23m on top of that. Sarkozy has always denied any wrongdoing in the case, or even any knowledge of Bygmalion, an events company that allegedly concealed the overspend.