Nicolas Sarkozy dries up on the first day of the trial devoted to his campaign accounts



Paris, May 20, 2021. Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his home while he is expected at the Paris court for the opening of the trial of the “Bygmalion” case. – THOMAS COEX / AFP

  • Postponed due to the coronavirus in March, the trial of the “Bygmalion” case resumed this Thursday before the 11th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal.
  • Former executives of the UMP, responsible for the 2012 campaign and leaders of the Bygmalion company: in total, fourteen people will be tried for this case of false invoices.
  • Already sentenced to prison in the so-called “tapping of Paul Bismuth” affair, Nicolas Sarkozy faces, this time, one year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros for “illegal financing of [sa] election campaign “.

Before the 11th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal,

By dint of stashing in front of his home in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, photographers know the places by heart. This Thursday morning, armed with big targets, they therefore positioned themselves strategically at the entrance to the impasse. And, without difficulty, they were able to photograph Nicolas Sarkozy getting into his automobile. But the former head of state never arrived at the Paris court where he was expected. And no one knows where he went.

It was therefore without him that the trial of the so-called “Bygmalion” case began before the 11th chamber shortly after 1.30 pm. Returned for the sole offense of “illegal financing of an electoral campaign”, Nicolas Sarkozy is the one of the fourteen defendants who risks the least in this case: one year in prison and a fine of 3,750 euros. And, as such, he can quite be represented by his lawyer throughout this hearing, scheduled to last until June 22.

Sarkozy accused of spending 42.8 million euros

Obviously, the former head of state made it clear that he was “at the disposal of justice” as soon as it deemed it useful. But he left Thierry Herzog, his historical counsel, to start challenging the charges against him in court. The lawyer asked that his client be immediately cleared on the grounds that he had already been sanctioned by the Constitutional Council for having exceeded the ceiling of authorized expenses for a candidate for the 2012 presidential election.

Above all, he considered that the order dismissing him was tainted with an irregularity, Nicolas Sarkozy never having been informed, during the investigation, of the exact amount of the expenses that he was accused of. Now everyone knows it. According to the prosecution, the right-wing candidate used 42.8 million euros to try to get elected when he could only spend 22.509 million euros.

In the thick of it from next Tuesday

That is the whole point of this affair. Former UMP executives, campaign officials and leaders of the Bygmalion company responsible for organizing meetings: all are suspected of having set up a system of false invoices in order to conceal the slippage of expenses which did not allow Nicolas Sarkozy to beat François Hollande in the 2012 presidential election.

If Jérôme Lavrilleux, who was deputy director of the campaign, admitted the scam, the thirteen other defendants vigorously contest it and reject responsibility. From the start of the hearing, as is customary, their lawyers developed remedies in an attempt to torpedo the investigation to which they were the subject. This should continue this Friday, before the trial gets to the heart of the matter, from next Tuesday.

The court should start by questioning the former officials of the Bygmalion company about this fraud. Like all the other defendants, with the notable exception of Nicolas Sarkozy, they risk five years in prison.

Follow this trial live on Twitter account from our journalist:
@vvantighem



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