In the

Minute Papillon

podcast 

!

, we are talking about the trial of the so-called "Bygmalion" affair.

Former UMP executives, responsible for the 2012 campaign and leaders of the Bygmalion communication agency: 14 people have been tried since May 20 after spending deemed excessive by Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential campaign in 2012. This The trial, which opened in March, was postponed for two months, due to the hospitalization of one of the lawyers in the proceedings affected by the coronavirus.

Sentenced to prison in the so-called “Paul Bismuth eavesdropping” affair, the former head of state this time faces a one-year prison sentence and a fine of 3,750 euros.

Absent since the opening of the debates, Nicolas Sarkozy is expected this Tuesday at the helm of the 11th chamber of the Paris judicial tribunal.

"Illegal campaign financing"

Unlike his co-defendants, the former head of state is not blamed for the system of false invoices which aimed to attribute part of the excessive spending to the UMP, now Les Républicains.

Nicolas Sarkozy is suspected of having let spending slip despite several clear alerts on the risk of overrun.

And thus, to have benefited from a system to exceed the ceiling of expenses authorized by the law.

In his order, Judge Serge Tournaire believes that Nicolas Sarkozy has neither "ordered", "participated" or even "been informed" of the frauds, but that he "benefited" as a candidate.

It is therefore for the only offense of "illegal campaign financing" that he appears.

And those around him do not hesitate to point out that he is the defendant who incurs the weakest sentence.

"The core target is Nicolas Sarkozy"

In this episode, Vincent Vantighem, journalist with the “Justice” service of

20 Minutes

,

looks

back on this new chapter of the trial, with the arrival of the former head of state at the helm. “Nicolas Sarkozy has been absent since May 20 [date of resumption of the trial]. However, we have never had a defendant absent so present in the debates, recalls Vincent Vantighem in this episode. The president's strategy is to make concentric circles in this file to reach the heart of the target. And the target is Nicolas Sarkozy, with an essential question: can we really imagine that a presidential candidate, a sitting president, could have benefited from a system allowing him to have 20 million euros more than the other candidates, without giving their consent one day? "

You can listen to this interview for free in the player above, via online listening platforms, including Apple podcast, Spotify, Deezer or Google podcast, and via the “Podcasts” section of the 20minutes.fr site.

To contact us: audio@20minutes.fr

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