Former President of France Nicolas Sarkozy was picked up by investigators on Tuesday for questioning in a corruption probe.
In an interview national prosecutor for financial corruption cases Eliane Houlette would only reveal that Sarkozy was being questioned by anticorruption investigators, The New York Times reports.
Sarkozy is being investigation over allegations of abuse of power during a 2007 investigation into the president. He, along with his lawyer Thierry Herzog - who has also been detained, are accused of using Gilbert Azibert, a magistrate, to keep abreast of information that was revealed at the time.
All three are currently being held for questioning and investigators can hold them for one day without charging any of the three. If Sarkozy is charged with influence peddling, he could face up to five years in prison and a $684,000 fine.
According to The Associated Press, Sarkozy was previously being investigated for accepting illegal campaign donations, that measure into the millions, from former Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi.
While both the former French president and his counsel have denied the accusations, investigators allegedly have a tapped phone call the two made, which sparked the probe.
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