Nicolas Sarkozys phone tapped by investigators: French newspaper: Nicolas Sarkozys phone was tapped during a judicial probe into financing for his 2007 election campaign, Le Monde newspaper reported, potentially presenting a new hurdle for the former French president who is widely expected to run for office again. The newspaper said the phone tapping episode had given rise to suspicions Sarkozy had been secretly advised by a high court judge in exchange for help getting the judge a role in Monaco. The alleged phone tapping was denounced by Sarkozys lawyer, Thierry Herzog, as monstrous. Herzog also said there had been no influence peddling in the context of contacts with the judge, named by Le Monde as Gilbert Azibert. An attempt to reach Azibert via a phone call to his office was unsuccessful on Friday. A statement from Monacos judicial services department confirmed that Azibert had been a candidate for a role as a Monaco high court judge, but said there had been no outside intervention in the recruitment procedure. The statement also said Azibert did not get the job. The inquiry into election financing began in April 2013, and is still at a stage that remains secret under French legal procedure, precluding any comment from investigating magistrates. Herzog told the newspaper his long-held belief the ex-presidents telephone conversations were being monitored was reinforced when he learned that the same thing had happened to Sarkozys former interior minister, Brice Hortefeux. Its not just scandalous its monstrous. Its a monumental violation of legal defence rights... Mr Sarkozy is probably still being phone-tapped, he told the newspaper. Sarkozy is expected by many to contest the 2017 presidential election after his defeat by Francois Hollande two years ago. The alleged phone tapping, ordered by magistrates investigating allegations that late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi funded Sarkozys 2007 campaign, could create fresh legal hurdles to his running again for power. The tapping allegations came a day after news Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni would file a legal complaint over secret audio recordings made of them by an adviser during the 2012 election campaign. Revelations that Patrick Buisson, part of Sarkozys inner circle, recorded hours of talks with the conservative leader and his entourage have caused uproar and disarray in his opposition UMP party weeks before local elections. ReportWorldReutersParisFranceNicolas SarkozyPhone tappingSaturday, 8 March 2014 - 8:28am Getty Imagesdnai.in/c6Wg dnaindia/world/report-nicolas-sarkozy-s-phone-tapped-by-investigators-french-newspaper-1967722
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 03:30:42 +0000
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