Former French president Sarkozy to stand trial for fraudulent campaign financing

Nikolas Sarkozy, the former President of France, must face a court hearing related to accusations of illegal campaign spending in 2012.

Sarkozy is alleged to have known about an overspend of 18m euros from his party on his presidential election campaign five years ago. He was unsuccessful in the campaign, when he lost out to current President Francois Hollande.

The case, known commonly as the "Bygmalion affair", centres around the rightwing UMP party's relationship with public relations firm Bygmalion, who were reported to have concealed invoices for the campaign.

France has a limit of €22.5m on campaign spending, but prosecutors say that more than double that amount was spent on Sarkozy's lavish campaign.

Sarkoxy's lawyer Thierry Herzog said that the former president will be launching an appeal against the order, suggesting a disagreement between the two judges presiding over the case.

"The clear disagreement between the two magistrates in charge of the matter is such a rare event that it is worth underlining, as it illustrates the inanity of the decision," Herzog said in a statement.

The order is the latest in a recent series of financial scandals which have surrounded French politics.

Centre-right presidential candidate Francois Fillon has been criticised for allegedly using public funds to give jobs to his wife and children, while former finance minister and EMF chief Christine Lagarde was found guilty of negligence in December, but avoided a jail sentence.