PARIS (AP) — Former President Nicolas Sarkozy has accused
France’s justice system of trying to "humiliate" and "destroy" him,
after he was charged in a corruption probe that could spell trouble for
his future political ambitions.
The former conservative party
leader fought back in a broadcast interview Wednesday, just hours after
his release from questioning over a highly publicized investigation into
judicial allegations that he took 50 million euros ($67 million) in
illegal campaign funds from Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi.
The detention
— a very unusual move for such a high-level figure — has dominated
French news broadcasts, and comes as his faltering UMP political party
has floated a possible comeback by the hard-driving 59-year-old.
Sarkozy,
who spent nearly a day in custody on Tuesday answering questions about
his 2007 presidential campaign, said on TF1 TV and Europe-1 radio that
he was "profoundly shocked" over his 16-hour detention.
"Is it
normal that I should be in custody for so long?" Sarkozy asked,
squinting intensely at an interviewer. He said his detention was
motivated out of "a desire to humiliate me."
"A part of the justice system is being used for political purposes," he said, warning of an
unspecified plot.
"In
our country … there are things that are in the process of being
organized," he said. "The French need to know them, and in their
conscience, and freely, need to judge what’s happening."
Le Monde
newspaper has reported that the questioning centers on whether Sarkozy
and his lawyers were informed about an investigation into the Libyan
case by magistrate Gilbert Azibert, in exchange for promises — that were
never fulfilled — for him to receive a post in Monaco.
"Azibert did not get a post in Monaco," Sarkozy said. "There has been no move in favor of
Monsieur Azibert."
He
hinted that the charges wouldn’t necessarily stop him for running for
president again in 2017 — although he left people guessing about his
future career plans.
"I’m not a man who is discouraged by villainy
and political manipulation," said Sarkozy, lashing out at what he
called left-leaning magistrates "whose political obsession is to destroy
the person who’s meant to be investigated."
Earlier, Prime
Minister Manuel Valls said the investigation was being carried out
independently of the Socialist government. His boss, Socialist President
Francois Hollande, defeated Sarkozy in the presidential race in 2012.
"This
situation is serious. The facts are serious," Valls told BFM TV. "But
as head of the government, I’m asking that we remember the independence
of the justice system, which must carry out its work serenely. No one is
above the law is the second principle. And thirdly, an important
reminder, there is the presumption of innocence."
Sarkozy is
accused of tapping political allies to gain intelligence on a flurry of
probes linked to campaign finance. He has vigorously denied the claims,
and insisted Wednesday that he has "never betrayed trust" of the French
people.
Sarkozy has drifted out of the political arena, but polls show he’s still popular among his fellow
conservatives.
His
personal lawyer, Thierry Herzog, and Azibert were also questioned in
the probe. Lawyers for those two men said they were handed preliminary
charges of influence trafficking.
Jean Garrigues, a political
historian at the University of Orleans and Paris’ Sorbonne university,
said the case amounts to "yet another thing to erode the image of the
political class, because it gives the image of an all-powerful group
that believes itself to be above the law."
After further investigation, judges will determine whether to hold a trial.
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Sylvie Corbet and Lori Hinnant contributed to this report.