Who imagines a former President of the Republic indicted for “criminal association”? Before this Friday, probably no one. A first. Nicolas Sarkozy had already been implicated since 2018 for “corruption”, concealment of embezzlement of public funds “and” illicit financing of electoral campaign “as part of the investigation into suspicions of Libyan financing of the 2007 presidential election.
The person concerned was quick to react, after the announcement of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, confirming information from Mediapart. “I learned of this new indictment with the greatest amazement,” Sarkozy reacted in a press release posted on social networks. After four days of interrogation, during which I answered all the questions that were put to me without ever being put in difficulty, my innocence is again violated by a decision which does not yield the slightest proof of a any illicit financing ”, continues the former head of state.
A few phone calls to his relatives, to get their feelings on this announcement, often result in empty calls or unanswered texts. “I don’t react. Call Morano! », Sends us very politely to graze a faithful. Unconditional support, the MEP was indeed one of the first to react, with her usual verve. “Nicolas Sarkozy will demonstrate again and again his innocence … but what trials … To believe, that it is a permanent attempt at political assassination”, commented the former minister. “History will remember the unprecedented judicial and political harassment which strikes a former President of the Republic”, added the deputy (LR) Eric Ciotti.
“He remains a tutelary figure of the right”
If nothing prejudges the guilt of the former president, the count of indictment is in itself a political fact. With consequences? “He remains a tutelary figure of the right, it is damaging for us”, soberly answers a deputy LR. Until recently, some of the faithful kept a little music on his return to politics, in the event of a serious crisis. Even if the person concerned has again publicly forbidden to dive back into it.
“The indictments of Nicolas Sarkozy no longer have an impact on public opinion,” replied by text a senior executive Les Républicains. One more, one less… “This indictment is crude… and if it is proven that all this is unfounded, it can even rehabilitate Nicolas Sarkozy”, estimates for his part a former sarkozyste. Understand: put the wind in his sails, if he ever wanted to go back down to the arena. He is more attentive to the Bygmalion file – Sarkozy will be tried in March for “illegal campaign financing” in 2012 – where, unlike the Libyan file according to him, “there, there is something”.
Before that, the former president will also be tried for “corruption” in the so-called “wiretapping” case, from 23 November. While waiting for the trial on Bygmalion in March 2021. A return decidedly less political than judicial.
Original article by : www.leparisien.fr
