French police have taken the unprecedented action of detaining former President Nikolas Sarkozy for questioning in an investigation over alleged influence peddling.  It's the first time this has happened to an ex-president in France.  Sarkozy’s attorney has been placed under formal investigation.

Investigators are determining if the 59-year old Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog attempted to obstruct justice by promising a prestigious role in Monaco to a judge in exchange for inside information from a magistrate about a probe into campaign finance irregularities.  Sarkozy has repeatedly denied allegations that his 2007 campaign was partly financed by Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.  Investigators also want to know if Sarkozy was tipped off that judges ordered his phone tapped in that earlier probe.

The constant drip of scandal threatens Sarkozy’s future political plans.  He’s rumored to be considering another run for the presidency in 2017, and some of his supporters believe the timing of the detention is deliberate.