The Paris prosecutor’s office requested the referral of Sarkozy and 13 others indicted in connection with the so-called Bygmalion affair for trial over illegal financing of the 2012 presidential election campaign, Europe 1 radio reported on Monday.
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It comes after Paris prosecutors placed the 61-year-old conservative under formal investigation for illegal financing, and recommended he should appear as a defendant in court.
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The prosecutor says Sarkozy broke the law by exceeding a cap on campaign spending and understating some expenses, AFP said.
Several employees at Bygmalion, including the company’s accountant as well as a leading member of Sarkozy’s campaign team, have admitted to the existence of the fraud, though none has accused the former president of knowing about it.
However Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly denied that he was aware of the overspending.
The judges in charge of the case must now decide whether to follow the prosecution’s recommendations.
Mr Sarkozy’s lawyer Thierry Herzog said earlier this year that ‘there was nothing linking President Nicolas Sarkozy to the Bygmalion case’.
It exceeded the legal limit for funds of £18.5 million, with Mr Sarkozy’s team spending the equivalent of at least £33 million.
The leader of FN also pointed out the discrepancy between the image that Sarkozy has promoted in his election campaigns, and the alliances he established under wraps with “promoters” of extremism.
The illegal funding case hinges on the activity of public relations firm Bygmalion, which organized some of Sarkozy’s campaign appearances and is accused of using an invoice system to hide unauthorized overspending.
Sarkozy has positioned himself on the right of the Republican party and has waded into a recent heated national debate over the burkini, speaking out in favour of a short-lived ban on the Muslim body-concealing swimsuit.
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In 2011, the former president was found guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence, and recieved a two-year suspended prison sentence. The former president has already paid back 364,000 euros ($407,000) for overspending in the campaign.
