Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was ordered Tuesday to stand trial in an inquiry into alleged campaign finance fraud during his failed 2012 re-election bid, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Sarkozy and 13 other "protagonists" will go to court on the order of a magistrate to answer allegations that his presidential campaign spent well above the legal ceiling of 22.5 million euros ($24 million) and tried to cover it up fraudulently, the office said.

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The claims center on whether the 61-year-old politician was aware of alleged false billing and fraud linked to PR company Bygmalion, where some executives have acknowledged false accounting.

Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing and his camp says it will appeal the decision.

The news may further erode public trust in politics as Sarkozy's former no. 2, Francois Fillon, their party's candidate in this spring's presidential election, fights for his political life over an investigation into whether well-paid political jobs he gave his wife, son and daughter were fake.

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Conservative lawmakers have been summoned Tuesday for a meeting at Fillon's headquarters to form a united front around the ex-prime minister ahead of the April-May elections.

In 2011, former President Jacques Chirac was given a two-year suspended jail sentence in a scandal over phony jobs.</s>Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly breaking campaign financing rules in his failed bid for reelection in 2012, a judicial official said.</s>Nicolas Sarkozy was President of France between 2007 and 2012.</s>Sarkozy To Stand Trial For Alleged Campaign Finance Violation

A French judge has ordered former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial over allegations that he violated France's campaign finance laws during his failed 2012 bid for re-election.

Sarkozy was eliminated from this year's presidential election in November when Francois Fillon defeated him in the first round of the primary for France's conservative party, as The Guardian reported.

Sarkozy faces trial over the alleged falsifying of account records by his party in order to hide more than $20 million in overspending. In France, presidential campaigns have a limit of 22.5 million euros, or $24 million, for expenses.

He has denied any awareness of wrongdoing.

The case is known as the "Bygmalion affair," named after the communications company that issued the invoices for Sarkozy's campaign, Jake Cigainero reports for NPR. He says 13 other people also face trial for fraud and complicity.

The BBC reports that the scandal "centers on claims that Mr. Sarkozy's party, then known as the UMP, connived with a friendly [public relations] company to hide the true cost of his 2012 presidential election campaign."

The Guardian recounted some of the details of the 2012 campaign, which were originally reported by the investigative journalist Violette Lazard in a book.

"At one rally of 10,000 supporters in Nice, [Lazard] claimed that luxury backstage canapés and champagne were provided for VIP supporters of the teetotal Sarkozy. "Scrambled eggs and spaghetti were infused with so much luxury truffle that one party worker worried the intense smell would waft out over the audience. 'I was very embarrassed, wondering if the smell would reach the hall and what image that would create,' the unnamed party worker told Lazard. The backstage drinks and nibbles cost [more than $50] a head. "Luxurious backstage dressing rooms were hastily put up for Sarkozy at conference centers and halls. At one rally ... builders put up 'not just a dressing room but an apartment,' according to a party official who was investigated in the case. He described 'four rooms with an office, a reception room, toilets, a bathroom and a sort of antechamber where visitors could wait.' Before Sarkozy's speech, 70,000 people stood chanting his name, but he did not hear it because the dressing room was entirely soundproofed at high cost, it is claimed.

Sarkozy is the latest French politician accused of financial misconduct. Just last week, authorities announced an investigation into alleged misuse of funds by Fillon.

As The Two-Way has noted:

Fillon is widely expected to face either far-right nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen or centrist Emmanuel Macron in the rounds of voting in April and May.

Le Pen has also been accused of misusing funds. As we reported, she has been asked to pay back more than $320,000 to the European Parliament because two of her aides in Brussels were actually working for her campaign in France. She has denied any wrongdoing.</s>Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is to stand criminal trial for running a corrupt election campaign, it was announced today.

The 62-year-old will face a jail term if found guilty of a range of crimes including fraud, false accounting and breach of trust.

Judge Serge Tournaire’s decision to refer Mr Sarkozy to trial comes as his political party, the Republicans, is immersed in sleaze allegations.

Would-be president Francois Fillon — once Mr Sarkozy’s prime minister — is mired in a fake jobs scandal involving his British wife Penelope.

Sarkozy’s indictment for “financing an illegal campaign” relates to the so-called Bygmalion Affair, said a judicial source close to Judge Tournaire.

Bygmalion was the PR firm which handled the notoriously self-promoting Sarkozy’s appearances during his failed 2012 re-election campaign.

It is said to have used a vast system of false accounting to conceal an alleged explosion of illegal funding for his campaign.

It exceeded the legal limit for funds of £18.5 million, with Sarkozy’s team spending the equivalent of at least £33 million.

Sarkozy’s lawyer Thierry Herzog said last year that “there was nothing linking President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Bygmalion case.”

However, the investigation kept Sarkozy, who is still allowed to use his “president” title after serving a single term of office in the role between 2007 and 2012, tied up in legal proceedings. The Paris home Sarkozy shares with his third wife, the model and pop singer Carla Bruni, was raided by fraud squad officers within a week of him standing down four years ago.

This was because French presidents are immune from prosecution while in office, and they can only be charged once they leave office.

Sarkozy is under investigation in a range of other scandals too, including claims that he received £42 million from the late Colonel Gaddafi.

Sarkozy failed in the Republican Party presidential primaries last year, which were won by Fillon.

The last French president to be tried as a criminal was Mr Sarkozy’s former mentor, Jacques Chirac.

In 2011, the former president was found guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence, and recieved a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Despite the corruption claims swirling around him and his family, Fillon has pledged to carry on his campaign to become president. It is thought this could assist fringe parties, including the far-right National Front, who hope that their candidate, Marine Le Pen, can become president in May.</s>A French judge has ordered ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy to stand trial in an illegal campaign finance case.

Mr Sarkozy faces accusations that his party falsified accounts in order to hide 18m euros (£15m; $20m) of campaign spending in 2012.

Mr Sarkozy denies he was aware of the overspending, and will appeal against the order to stand trial.

He lost the 2012 race, and failed in his bid to run again in this year’s upcoming presidential election.

The case is known as the Bygmalion scandal.

It centres on claims that Mr Sarkozy’s party, then known as the UMP, connived with a friendly PR company to hide the true cost of his 2012 presidential election campaign.

France sets limits on campaign spending, and it is alleged the firm Bygmalion invoiced Mr Sarkozy’s party rather than the campaign, allowing the UMP to spend almost double the amount permitted.

Employees at Bygmalion have admitted knowledge of the ruse and several UMP members already face charges.

The investigation into Mr Sarkozy centres on whether the ex-leader was aware of the alleged fraud.

Thirteen other people are also expected to be tried.

However, Mr Sarkozy’s lawyer, Thierry Herzog, has said he will launch an appeal against the trial order, because only one of the two judges handling the case signed the order.

“The clear disagreement between the two magistrates in charge of the matter is such a rare event that it is worth underlining, as it illustrates the inanity of the decision,” Mr Herzog said in a statement.

The development comes as other French politicians have faced questions over their financial dealings.

Francois Fillon, who beat Mr Sarkozy to become the centre-right’s candidate for the presidential race, is accused of misusing public funds to employ his wife and two children.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament is demanding France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen return funds it says she has misspent, by paying an aide at the National Front party’s headquarters in Paris.

Mr Sarkozy is the second French president to be put on trial since 1958, when the current French republic was established.

Former leader Jacques Chirac was given a two-year suspended prison sentence in 2011 for diverting public funds and abusing public trust.
• Son of a Hungarian immigrant and a French mother of Greek-Jewish origin; grew up in Paris
• Began his political career as mayor of the affluent Paris suburb of Neuilly from 1983 to 2002
• Nicknamed president “bling-bling” by critics for his flashy leadership style
• As president, pushed through reforms including raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 and relaxing the 35-hour working week. BBC News</s>Nicolas Sarkozy is to stand trial over allegations he illegally financed his failed 2012 presidential bid, according to reports.

The former French president is accused of exceeding the €22.5m (£19.4m) spending limit by using false accounting from public relations firm Bygmalion. Illegal party funding carries a maximum prison sentence of a year and a €3,750 (£3,232) fine.

A judicial source told Reuters that 13 others will also face charges in relation to the case, which also involves accusations of excessive spending and funding irregularities.

Another source told AFP that judges decided last week to proceed with the trial after the failure of a bid by Sarkozy's legal team to have it thrown out.

Bygmalion allegedly charged €18.5m (£15.9m) to Sarkozy's UMP party, which has since been renamed the Republicains, instead of billing Mr Sarkozy's campaign.

Company executives have admitted fraud and false accounting, and the trial will focus on whether Sarkozy, who was at the time the incumbent fighting for re-election, was aware of what was going on. Sarkozy has previously claimed aware he was unaware of the irregular financing.

Sarkozy failed in a fresh presidential bid late last year, with rival Francois Fillon chosen as candidate for the centre right Republicains.

Fillon is currently embroiled in his own scandal, after it emerged that he had employed family members in lucrative fake jobs with public funds.

Sarkozy is the second French president to be put on trial since 1958, when the current French republic was established.

Former leader Jacques Chirac was given a two-year suspended prison sentence in 2011 for diverting public funds and abusing public trust.</s>France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy is to face trial in an inquiry into alleged campaign finance fraud during his 2012 presidential campaign, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Mr Sarkozy and 13 others will go to court to answer allegations that his failed presidential campaign spent well above the legal ceiling, the office said.

Mr Sarkozy's camp said it will appeal against the decision.

The news may further erode public trust in politics as Mr Sarkozy's former number two, Francois Fillon, their party's candidate in this year's presidential election, fights for his political life over an investigation into whether well-paid political jobs he gave his wife, son and daughter were fake.</s>Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will reportedly face trial for exceeding election expenses during his failed 2012 campaign.

A judicial source told Reuters that 13 others would also face trial over the so-called "Bygmalion Affair", which has involved charges of spending overruns and funding irregularities.

Mr Sarkozy was previously placed under investigation in a probe into his campaign funding.

His 2012 re-election campaign costs were more than twice the legal limit.

Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly denied knowledge of the overspending because he was not involved in the details of his campaign finance.

It is alleged he exceeded the spending limit of 22.5m euros (£19m) through false invoices issued by the Bygmalion PR company.

The decision to put Mr Sarkozy on trial comes as French politicians face growing scrutiny over their personal finances in the build-up to this year's presidential election in April and May.</s>Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to face trial for the alleged irregular financing of his 2012 presidential campaign, the media reported on Tuesday.

 

 Sarkozy is to appear in court along with 13 others, said the "France Info" broadcaster, citing court sources.

 

 The case was originally opened in 2014 when a media investigation found that Sarkozy had surpassed the 22.5 million euro ($24 million) spending cap on his presidential campaign for an election he lost to Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande, the incumbent President.

 

 Prosecutors accused Sarkozy and members of his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party of having conspired with communications company Bygmalion to cover up the overspend with false invoices, Efe news reported.

 

 The allegations against Sarkozy suggested that the former head of state breached the campaign spending limit by some $15 million.

 

 Rather than invoicing the presidential campaign, the Bygmalion firm allegedly charged those extra expenses to Sarkozy's centre-right UMP, since re-branded as the Republicans, thus bypassing French electoral law.

 

 In France, the case is popularly referred to as the Bygmalion affair.

 

 Sarkozy was fined by the Constitutional Court for his role in the Bygmalion affair and he has since paid back the entire sum of the overspend after a successful donation campaign led by party members and supporters.

 

 The case was widely blamed for his poor showing in the 2016 centre-right presidential primaries when his comeback attempt was thwarted by two former Prime Ministers, Francois Fillon and Alain Juppé.

 

 Sarkozy's 2012 campaign manager Jérôme Lavrilleux and the head of Bygmalion, who has confessed to the accusations, are also due to stand trial. 

 

 Sarkozy's lawyers may yet appeal the order. The centre-right politician would become the second former head of state to stand trial after tenure.

 

 Jacques Chirac was handed a suspended prison sentence by a Paris court in 2011 for diverting public funds and abusing public confidence.
Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy is ordered to stand trial for alleged campaign finance fraud during his failed 2012 presidential election campaign.