Nicolas Sarkozy back in spotlight due to court hearings It is nearly two years since Nicolas Sarkozy disappeared from Frances daily life. Apart from the occasional reminder that he might make a comeback in 2017, little has been heard from him. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, his wife, has made records, given concerts and cooed in the press about her Raymond (her pet name for Sarkozy), but the former president has simply smiled and said nothing. This week, however, the former leader narrowly defeated by the Socialist François Hollande in 2012 will return to the headlines – and not in the way he might have hoped. Two separate court hearings, relatively minor in themselves, threaten to unleash further damaging corruption allegations and embarrassing private conversations that have left Sarkozy and his entourage squirming. On Monday, Sarkozy and Bruni will seek an injunction against the further publication or broadcasting of recordings of their private conversations by a one-time presidential aide and ask a court to rule on whether the leaking of the tapes constitutes a breach of their privacy. The tapes were made by Elysée aide Patrick Buisson – the man who persuaded Sarkozy to make a sharp turn to the right during his failed 2012 presidential campaign. Buissons lawyer has denied they were made secretly, insisting the Sarkozys knew they were being recorded, and claims the recordings were subsequently stolen and leaked to the satirical weekly paper Le Canard Enchainé. The content is largely banal, but the couple are seeking an injunction, fearing more recordings might be made public. On Tuesday, the court of cassation, Frances highest appeal court, will rule on whether Sarkozys diaries were seized illegally in police raids as part of an investigation into whether Liliane Bettencourt, the LOréal heiress and Frances richest woman, made illegal donations to the presidents election campaign. Charges against Sarkozy in what became known as the Bettencourt Affair were dropped last autumn.This case is potentially far more damaging, especially as a new investigation was opened on Friday into accusations that the former president and his lawyer obtained secret legal information about the appeal case from a prosecutor who was allegedly rewarded with a sinecure in Monaco. Both Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog have denied the new allegations, which came to light after it was revealed that investigators looking into whether Sarkozy had received illegal donations from former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his successful 2007 presidential campaign, had taken the unprecedented step of bugging the former president and his lawyer. Investigators are now looking into a possible violation of legal secrets and abuse of influence, while the French legal profession is simultaneously furious over the telephone taps and what appears to be a blatant breach of lawyer-client confidentiality. Sarkozy had solemnly pledged that if he lost the 2012 election, the French public would never hear from him again. Only last week, his inner circle was insisting he was determined to keep a low profile, in spite of what have become known as his postcards to the French people: messages in the form of political meetings, public appearances and photographs for Paris Match. It is unlikely the former president or his wife will actually appear in court on Monday or Tuesday, but it promises to be a long week out of politics for Sarkozy.
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 03:57:42 +0000
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