Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial on Thursday over claims of illicit financing for his failed 2012 re-election campaign, months after he was convicted in a landmark corruption case.
Mr Sarkozy, 66, became France's first post-war president to be sentenced to prison when judges gave him a three-year term in March for corruption and influence peddling, although under sentencing rules he is not likely to spend any time behind bars.
He and 13 others are accused of setting up or benefiting from a fake billing scheme to cover millions of euros in excess spending on campaign rallies to fend off his rival and successor Francois Hollande.
Prosecutors say accountants warned Mr Sarkozy the campaign was set to blow past the €22.5 million ($27m) spending cap, but he insisted on holding more events.
Eventually, the campaign spent nearly €43m, although Mr Sarkozy said he was unaware of the scheme.
Unlike some of the defendants, he is not charged with fraud, but with the lesser offence of illegal campaign financing.
If convicted, he risks up to a year in prison and a fine of €3,750.
Mr Sarkozy did not appear in court when the trial opened, but he has been ordered to appear for questioning in the week beginning June 14.
The trial was originally set for March but was postponed after a lawyer for a key witness was hospitalised with Covid-19. It is now set to run until June 22.
The case is one of several to have dogged Mr Sarkozy since he left office and which have torpedoed hopes among his allies that he could muster a comeback and challenge Emmanuel Macron next year.
He has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of a vindictive judicial system that widely opposed his reform efforts while in power from 2007 to 2012.
He has appealed the corruption conviction, handed down after a judge ruled he plotted with his former lawyer and friend Thierry Herzog to obtain and share confidential information from a judge about an inquiry into his 2007 campaign financing.
The latest case is known as the Bygmalion affair, after the name of the public relations firm hired to orchestrate a blitz of elaborately staged rallies when polls showed that Mr Sarkozy's 2012 re-election was far from assured.
Bygmalion executives have acknowledged a system of fake invoices to pass the bills to Mr Sarkozy's UMP party, since renamed Les Republicains, including the deputy manager of the campaign, Jerome Lavrilleux.
Mr Lavrilleux made headlines in 2014 after he tearfully confessed to the scam during a French TV interview, saying: "This campaign was a runaway train that no one had the courage to stop."
Campaign officials refused to reimburse the spending after investigators discovered the fraud, prompting the UMP to launch a "Sarkothon" that raised €11 million towards his costs.
Mr Sarkozy, who married singer and former model Carla Bruni while in office, is also facing charges he received millions of euros from the former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi for his 2007 election campaign.
And in January, prosecutors opened an investigation into alleged influence-peddling during his activities as a consultant in Russia.
Yet, Mr Sarkozy remains a popular figure on the right, attracting long lines of fans last summer seeking autographs of his latest memoir, The Time of Storms, which topped bestseller lists for weeks.
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
The Details
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Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
