Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been detained and is reportedly being questioned by financial investigators in a corruption investigation.

A French judicial official said today that Mr Sarkozy is in custody in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

French media reports said Mr Sarkozy is being questioned in an investigation into financing for his 2007 presidential campaign.

The case centres around whether Mr Sarkozy and his lawyer were kept informed of insider information on the investigation by a friendly magistrate.

The ex-president and his lawyer have denied wrongdoing.

Mr Sarkozy is considering a political comeback after his 2012 defeat by President Francois Hollande.

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