PARIS
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's detention in a corruption probe Tuesday has shocked French politics, with the main centre-right party accusing the government of organizing a political plot.
Stressing that Sarkozy was detained at a time when he was considering a return to politics, Union for a Popular Movement deputy Valerie Debord told private broadcaster BFM that the government was influencing the judiciary for political motives.
Investigators on Tuesday detained Sarkozy, president from 2007 to 2012, for allegedly interfering in an investigation into political donations.
Union for a Popular Movement deputy Christian Estrosi said that no French president had been subjected to such a treatment and that the judiciary did not act impartially while conducting the investigation.
Sarkozy's detention came a day after police detained his lawyer Thierry Herzog and two judges.
Private broadcaster BFM said the four were being questioned as part of an inquiry into alleged interference in another investigation about alleged financial support from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign.
Denying claims the government has any involvement with the investigations, French government spokseperson Stephane Le Foll told "I Tele" television that Sarkozy is a citizen like any other and that he benefits from the presumption of innocence.
Sarkozy has previously been reported as considering a run for the presidency in 2017.
Local media reported that it is the first time in modern France that a former head of state has been held in custody, although ex-President Jacques Chirac was given a suspended prison sentence in 2011 for offences committed while he was mayor of Paris.
In April, French media said investigating judges had bugged Sarkozy's phone calls as part of the investigation into the alleged Gaddafi donation.
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