France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy held for questioning in corruption probe

France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy held for questioning in corruption probe
(Image credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

French police have detained former President Nicolas Sarkozy near Paris for questioning in an influence-peddling case. Authorities want to know if Sarkozy used his authority to get information on an inquiry into allegations that his successful 2007 presidential campaign had been bankrolled by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, Reuters reports.

This is thought to be the first time a former head of state was held for questioning in modern French history, the BBC reports, and is one of six legal inquiries involving Sarkozy. His lawyer, Thierry Herzog, was questioned Monday, and this investigation is said to have started in February.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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.

Sign up
Explore More
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.