Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, says that he is “deeply shocked” by the corruption investigation announced Wednesday. In what was supposed to be his first major broadcast interview since his 2012 loss, Sarko denied that he broke the law. “I have never committed any act contrary to the values of the republic or the rule of law,” he said. Sarkozy has been accused of trying to obtain information from a judge about investigations, among them the accusation that he took as much as €50 million in illegal campaign donations from Muammar Gaddafi in 2007. Sarkozy was questioned for 15 hours by police on Tuesday, which was the first time a former French president had been detained by the authorities. He had been rumored to be seeking a comeback in the 2017 election.
