Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is being held in police custody over suspected illegal campaign financing linked to late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Investigators in the Paris suburb of Nanterre are questioning Sarkozy about whether his successful 2007 election campaign received €50m (£44m) in illicit funds originating from the dictator, who was killed by rebels in 2011 at the close of the Libyan Civil War.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - February 20, 2025Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - post-mortem negotiations, problematic immigration, and more
-
The Years at the Harold Pinter Theatre: an 'unmissable' eveningThe Week Recommends Eline Arbo's 'spellbinding' adaptation of Annie Ernaux's memoir transfers to the West End
-
The White Lotus: a delicious third helping of Mike White's toxic feastThe Week Recommends 'Wickedly funny' comedy-drama stars Jason Isaacs, Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysisIn Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
-
Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
-
Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
-
Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the seaIn the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikesSpeed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
