Preliminary charges have been filed against former French president Nicolas Sarkozy in connection with allegations he illegally took donations from France's richest woman for his 2007 election campaign, a lawyer said.
Lawyer Antoine Gillot told French TV i-Tele that Judge Jean-Michel Gentil in the south-western city of Bordeaux placed Mr Sarkozy under investigation - a step short of formal charges - after hours of questioning.
In November, Mr Sarkozy was named a key and potentially indictable witness in an investigation involving 90-year-old L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
Mr Gillot represents a former butler, who was also questioned along with Mr Sarkozy.
UK 
