Susana Vera/Reuters
First there was Francois Hollande and his secret girlfriend, and now his predecessor is embroiled in his own scandal. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was taken into police custody for questioning into a corruption investigation. Detectives are investigating whether Sarkozy abused his power to obtain information regarding legal cases against him by rewarding government officials. Authorities are trying to specifically determine whether Sarkozy appointed a magistrate to a top job in Monaco in exchange for tipping him off as to whether he would face corruption allegations in court. Sarkozy, prize that he is, was already being investigated at that time for illegal campaign contributions, including from former Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. If Sarkozy does face formal charges, he would hardly be the first French president to do so. His predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was found guilty of embezzlement and breach of trust.