Six party officials under investigation after allegations events company called Bygmalion concealed €18.5m of overspendingElaborate stadium gigs in front of flag-waving fans cemented Sarkozy’s reputation for political showmanship during his last –and failed – presidential campaign. But it is a legal inquiry into how they were funded that is now casting a shadow over the rightwing opposition party he leads and his quest to win back the French presidency in 2017.
French magistrates are looking into allegations of fraud and fake accounting in a campaign funding saga known as the Bygmalion” affair. It is alleged that fake invoices to an events company called Bygmalion concealed €18.5m (£15m) of overspending on Sarkozy’s 2012 campaign. France has a strict €22.5m limit on spending by presidential candidates. Sarkozy lost the election race to the socialist François Hollande.
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Source: theguardian.com