Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was taken into custody Tuesday following a five-year investigation into allegations that the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi gave tens of millions of euros to his 2007 campaign, a violation of France’s campaign finance laws.
The case began heating up in 2016, after French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine said Gadhafi’s intelligence chief had given him 5 million euros to deliver to Sarkozy and his then-chief of staff Claude Gueant in 2006 and 2007.
Gadhafi’s regime is being investigated over claims it gave more than 50 million euros to Sarkozy’s campaign, which is more than double the amount a presidential campaign in France would have been legally permitted to accept at the time.
Sarkozy has previously denied any wrongdoing on multiple occasions.
Sarkozy is being held at a police station northwest of Paris, the Associated Press reported. He can be detained for up to 48 hours before police must release or charge him.
The Frenchman’s former top aide, Brice Hortefeux, was reported as also being questioned by officials on Tuesday, but was not detained.
Last February, a court ordered Sarkozy stand trial over charges he overspent during his 2012 re-election campaign. His legal team appealed the judge’s decision.
