The head of France’s Constitutional Council has lashed out at former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s for his allegations against the judiciary, accusing him of going against the principles of the French Republic.
Hours after being put under an official investigation on charges of corruption, Sarkozy had scorned the judicial investigation, claiming in a TV interview "a part of the judiciary is being politically manipulated" in an effort to damage his reputation.
Jean Louis Debre responded on Friday by telling radio channel Europe 1: “You may reject accusations directed at you, but you cannot oppose the basic principles of the judiciary.
“If you do so, this means you’re going against the Republic.”
- 'Insufficient evidence'
Debre said the ex-president attempted to draw an inaccurate image of the Constitutional Court.
“The Constitutional Court does not have the means to launch an investigation; one cannot expect it to act like the police,” he said when asked to comment on Sarkozy’s remark that the court did not present sufficient evidence against him.
Sarkozy was put under official investigation on Wednesday on charges of corruption and misuse of influence as part of a probe into the alleged illegal financing of his 2007 election campaign.
The decision to charge Sarkozy came after he was detained for questioning in Nanterre the day before - the first time a former French head of state had been taken into custody.
- Phone calls bugged
Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog and judges Patrick Sassoust and Gilbert Azibert, from the Court of Cassation and the High Court of Appeal, respectively, were also questioned over allegations Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi helped finance Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign.
Christian Estrosi, a deputy from Sarkozy’s former party, said no ex-president had been subjected to such treatment and accused the judiciary of bias.
French media said investigating judges had bugged Sarkozy's phone calls in April as part of an investigation into the alleged Gaddafi donations.
Sarkozy had previously been reported to be considering a run for the presidency in 2017.
www.aa.com.tr/en
