The Paris Criminal Court ordered, on October 19, the appearance as a witness of the former President of the Republic, if necessary “by the police”.
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Nicolas Sarkozy will be present on Tuesday, November 2 in court as part of the trial of his former collaborators in the Elysee polls affair, franceinfo learned from a source close to the case on Friday, October 29. According to our information, the former head of state has confirmed his presence.
The Paris Criminal Court ordered his hearing as a witness on October 19. “I have always responded to invitations that were sent to me”, then reacted Nicolas Sarkozy the next day, without further clarification, adding: “I’ll tell you what to do, but for now you need to be cool and calm.”
Presidential immunity
The former president is not prosecuted in this case because covered by presidential immunity. Cited by the Anticor association, civil party, he had let it be known by a letter to the court that he refused this deposition. The court therefore forced him to do so.
Justice is interested in the fact that between 2007 and 2012, the Elysee Palace paid more than 7 million euros for advice and surveys without a call for tenders. Among the defendants, there is in particular Claude Guéant, former secretary general of the Elysee Palace, who is tried for favoritism. The pollsters involved in this affair are those of Patrick Buisson and Pierre Giacometti but also Ipsos, tried for “concealment of favoritism”.