France's former President Nicolas Sarkozy is to face trial over accusations that he exceeded the legal spending limit in his failed 2012 re-election campaign, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Tuesday.

One of two judges in charge of the case, Serge Tournaire, decided that the case should go to trial after the failure of Sarkozy's legal efforts to prevent it in December, a legal source said.

The prosecution claims Sarkozy "greatly exceeded" a spending limit of 22.5 million euros ($24 million) by using false billing from a public relations firm called Bygmalion.

'Inane decision'

The prosecutor's office said that 13 others would also face trial in connection with the affair.

Thierry Herzog, Sarkozy's lawyer, described the decision as "inane" said he would appeal it.

If convicted, the 62-year-old conservative politician would face a one-year prison sentence.

Questioned by police in September 2015, Sarkozy said he did not recall ever being warned about the accounting and described the controversy as a "farce."

Run of scandals

Sarkozy - who was defeated in November in the center-right Republicans' primary by his own former prime minister, Francois Fillon - was put under formal investigation last February, when he was questioned by magistrates at the Paris financial prosecutor's office over claims of dual accounting and the discovery of 18 million euros in false invoices issued by Bygmalion.

Sarkozy's ambitions over the years have been regularly hit by scandals, including allegations he used money from the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to fund his 2007 campaign and that he was involved in kickbacks from an arms deal in the 1990s.

Only one other president - Jacques Chirac - has been tried in France's Fifth Republic since its founding in 1958. Chirac was give a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 over a fake-job scandal.

Fillon, who beat rivals including Sarkozy to become the center-right candidate in this year's presidential elections, is also embroiled in a financial scandal over payments of public funds to his wife and children.

French politicians have come under increased scrutiny ahead of the elections in April and May.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" Frontrunner no more Many expected Francois Fillon to be a shoo-in for the presidency. The former French prime minister easily won the conservative primary with 67 percent of the vote. But then Penelopegate hit. Weekly newspaper Canard Enchaine reported that Fillon's wife Penelope and two of his children had received close to one million euros in salaries from Fillon, paid by the state. Fillon's popularity tumbled.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" Working for her husband? It is not illegal in France to hire family members as parliamentary assistants - provided they have real jobs. Fillon's wife was paid 830,000 euros ($900,000) as a parliamentary assistant for 15 years, working (or - as some have suggested - "working") for Fillon and his replacement in parliament. Police are currently investigating whether Penelope provided services for the salary she received.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" Keeping it in the family Reporters also revealed that Fillon paid his two oldest children 84,000 euros for working as assistants between 2005 and 2007. Fillon argued that he had hired Marie and Charles Fillon for their legal expertise - though the two were still in law school when they had jobs with their father.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" More accusations Penelope was also employed at an art magazine from May 2012 to December 2013, where she was paid roughly 5,000 euros a month. The owner of the magazine had previously been recommended for France's highest honor, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, by then-prime minister Francois Fillon. Fillon has said that these two facts were unrelated.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" A smear campaign? Fillon has repeatedly denied charges that he used "fake jobs" to enrich his family. He has said that he employed his wife and children because he trusted them and accused the media of running a smear campaign against him. Nevertheless, Penelopegate has severely damaged the campaign of the 63-year old, who has sold himself to French voters as an honest family man keen on cutting public spending.

What you need to know about Francois Fillon and "Penelopegate" Certainly not a first The accusations against Fillon are hardly the first of their kind in France. Ex-President Jacques Chirac was found guilty in 2011 of employing party members in "fake jobs" as mayor of Paris. Former president Nicolas Sarkozy is being investigated for illegal campaign financing, and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen is suspected of paying officials in her far-right party with EU funds. Author: Mara Bierbach



jbh/tj (AFP, Reuters, AP)