Sarkozy questioned over Bettencourt donations scandal

PARIS. November 23. KAZINFORM Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was questioned by a French court on Thursday over suspected illegal campaign donations.
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The investigation of the 57-year-old former leader largely centers around whether he received illegal donations from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his 2007 election campaign.

Sarkozy's home and offices were searched by French police in July as part of investigation into the Bettencourt scandal, Xinhua reports.

Losing immunity from prosecution after failing to snatch a second term in May, Sarkozy denies all wrongdoing.

The scandal sparked public controversy since July 2010, when a former bookkeeper of Bettencourt, the richest woman in Europe, unveiled secret recordings showing the involvement of then Labor Minister Eric Woerth in a major tax evasion involving the 90-year-old owner of the cosmetics giant L'Oreal.

The former bookkeeper also claimed 150,000 euros (192,000 U.S. dollars) were offered to finance Sarkozy's 2007 campaign, while French law limits donations to parties to 7,500 euros per person per year with only 150 euros given in cash. (1 euro = 1.28 U.S. dollars).

 

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