Sarkozy triumphant after Bettencourt charges dropped

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy emerged triumphant on Monday from a legal battle that had clouded his comeback ambitions, after investigating magistrates decided to drop charges against him in a campaign funding scandal, dpa reported. Le Monde and Sud Ouest newspapers reported that the magistrates, who six months ago charged Sarkozy with exploiting elderly L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt to obtain secret campaign donations, had abruptly dropped the case after deciding it was unwinnable. "In deciding to dismiss the charges, the justice system has declared me innocent in the Bettencourt dossier," Sarkozy declared in a Facebook statement. He hit back at unnamed "political leaders" who had "used" the affair, saying Monday's decision was a lesson that “innocent until proven guilty is a basic principle.