PARIS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- French former budget minister Eric Woerth was placed on Tuesday under formal investigation as part of a probe into suspected funds that former president Nicoals Sarkozy received from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 election campaign, according to local report.
Woerth, former treasure of Sarkozy campaign, was charged with "complicity in illegal campaign financing," news channel BFMTV reported.
A judicial inquiry was opened in as early as April 2013 into the suspected irregularities over Sarkozy campaign funding after investigative online journal Mediapart unveiled that Libya had offered money to finance his campaign.
In 2016, French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine revealed to Mediapart that he delivered three suitcases containing 5 million euros (5.77 million U.S. dollars) in cash, from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to Sarkozy, as well as to Sarkozy's former chief of staff and campaign director Claude Gueant between 2006 and 2007.
Sarkozy was also put under formal investigation over the suspect Libyan funds.
