Former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, was questioned on Tuesday by magistrates at the Financial Prosecutor's office in Paris over allegations of "illegal financing of an election campaign." Sarkozy, as a candidate, had "exceeded the legal limit for electoral spending," read a statement by the Paris prosecutor's office, reports The New York Times.
Sarkozy was also designated an "assisted witness" in connection with "accusations of using false documents, fraud and breach of trust," in relation to what has become known as the Bygmalion scandal, prosecutors added, reports the BBC.
The former French president was placed under investigation on Tuesday morning for charges pertaining to illegal overspending during his failed 2012 bid for re-election, as HNGN previously reported.
"I can say that I'm satisfied that the law in large part has been kept to and there was nothing linking President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Bygmalion case. It is only about exceeding the amount of campaign spending," said Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog, according to Reuters.
Sarkozy denies any knowledge of the Bygmalion scandal. Bygmalion had issued 18 million euros ($20.1 million) in false invoices, indulging in dual accounting and increasing Sarkozy's 2012 election campaign costs to double their legal limit.
"It will no doubt be hard to believe, but I swear it is the strict truth: I knew nothing about this company until the scandal broke," Sarkozy wrote in a book, published last month, reports Politico.
