French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy under formal investigationMarch 22, 2018 - 11:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation over allegations he received campaign funding from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the BBC reports. He is being investigated for illicit campaign financing, misappropriation of Libyan public funds and passive corruption. He was released on Wednesday, March 21 following two days of questioning over the financing of his 2007 campaign. Sarkozy, 63, has denied wrongdoing. He says his Libyan accusers are seeking vengeance for his decision to deploy French warplanes during the uprising which overthrew Gaddafi in 2011. The centre-right politician failed in his bid to return to power in 2012, losing to socialist François Hollande. In 2013, France opened an investigation into allegations that Sarkozy's campaign had benefited from millions of euros of illicit funds from Gaddafi. One of Sarkozy's former ministers and a close ally, Brice Hortefeux, was also reportedly questioned by police on Tuesday. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |