Nicolas Sarkozy upon his arrival at the Paris judicial court on March 1, 2021. – Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
- Former executives of the UMP, responsible for the 2012 campaign and leaders of Bygmalion: fourteen people must be tried, from this Thursday, for the illegal financing of an electoral campaign. Including Nicolas Sarkozy.
- Sentenced to prison in the so-called “Paul Bismuth eavesdropping” affair, the former head of state this time faces a sentence of one year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros. His presence in court is not guaranteed for the resumption of hearings.
- The role of Jean-François Copé, who benefited from a dismissal in the case, should occupy part of the debates.
We take the same ones and start over … Or almost … Two months after being postponed due to the hospitalization of one of the lawyers in the proceedings affected by the coronavirus, the so-called “Bygmalion” trial is due to resume this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. before the 11th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal.
Former UMP executives, responsible for the 2012 presidential campaign, leaders of Bygmalion – the company responsible for organizing the meetings: a total of fourteen people will appear for this case of false invoices which allowed, according to the prosecution, to explode the authorized spending ceiling during the 2012 presidential election. Including the right-wing candidate: Nicolas Sarkozy. 20 minutes looks back on the major issues of this trial scheduled to last until June 22 …
Nicolas Sarkozy will he be present during the debates?
In recent days, the former President of the Republic maintained the suspense on his presence, or not, before the 11th chamber of the judicial tribunal of Paris, for the reopening of the trial. On March 17, he was the only one of the 14 defendants to skip the hearing. First, because he expected – and rightly so – that she would be fired. And above all because he wanted to show his difference from the other defendants, that he wanted to take a step back from those who are accused of having set up the system of false invoices. We can imagine that it will be the same this Thursday.
In his order, Judge Serge Tournaire considers, in fact, that Nicolas Sarkozy has neither “ordered”, nor “participated” or even “been informed” of the frauds but that he “benefited” from them, as a candidate. . It is therefore for the only offense of “illegal campaign financing” that he appears. And his entourage does not hesitate to recall that he is the defendant who incurs the lowest penalty (one year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros) and that as such, he can even be represented by his lawyer. , Thierry Herzog, throughout the trial if he wishes.
“But obviously, he will be available to justice if necessary,” says one of his advisers. “We already know that he will read all the court records and that if something displeases him, he will come and say it the next day,” mocked a lawyer in the proceedings. The only certainty: the court has planned to question him the week of June 14.
But what is the Bygmalion affair?
The case really broke in May 2014 with the televised testimony of Jérôme Lavrilleux. In tears, this close friend of Jean-François Copé then reveals to have participated in a system of double accounting and false invoices set up to hide the overruns of the authorized limit of candidate Sarkozy’s campaign accounts.
According to the prosecution, campaign expenses amounted to “at least 42.8 million euros” while they should not exceed, by law, the ceiling of 22.5 million. To cover it up, the former UMP officials are suspected of having borne part of the costs by passing off the candidate’s meetings for bogus political conventions. Today, Jérôme Lavrilleux is the only one to recognize the facts.
In an interview with Picard Courier, Monday, however, he recalled that, according to him, “no one was personally enriched in this affair”.
Why is Jean-François Copé not on the bench?
Boss of the UMP at the time, Jean-François Copé was dismissed in this case. Judge Serge Tournaire found “astonishing” that he did not seek to understand why his party was on the verge of default, but “the investigation did not reveal any material elements suggesting that he was advised of the false billing system ”.
However, some protagonists of the case have still not digested this preferential treatment. Several lawyers have therefore already called for a resumption of the investigation into him after having unearthed a loan contract of 55 million euros which would prove, according to them, that he knew more than he told the judges. . The question should occupy the debates as soon as the case is reopened. But it is as a simple witness that Jean-François Copé is summoned on May 27.
#Bygmalion : In short, the lawyer evokes a loan contract discovered, Monday, in the seals. This is a loan contract for 55 million signed with Société Générale.
– Vincent Vantighem (@vvantighem) March 17, 2021
What risk the defendants in this case?
Fired for forgery, forgery, breach of trust, fraud, they risk up to five years in prison. And with the exception of Jérôme Lavrilleux, who recognizes the facts, everyone intends to defend themselves from having participated in the establishment of this system.
Nicolas Sarkozy, for his part, should argue that only one of the two examining magistrates signed the order concluding his dismissal, Judge Van Ruymbeke not having been convinced by his colleague’s analysis. He should also remind the court that he has already, in his eyes, paid for the overrun of his campaign account, having been pinned by the Constitutional Council.
For its part, the Republicans party intends to become a civil party and claim the sum of 16 million euros in damages.
Follow the audience live on the Twitter account from our journalist:
@vvantighem