France's President and UMP party candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections Nicolas Sarkozy addresses supporters at La Mutualite meeting hall in Paris after early results in the first round vote of the 2012 French presidential election April 22, 2012. REUTERS/Yves Herman
PARIS (Reuters) - A political row over revelations that French investigators had tapped the phone of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy took a new turn on Wednesday after Francois Hollande's government acknowledged it knew of the surveillance.
Sarkozy's opposition conservatives, torn by in-fighting and facing allegations over irregular party funding, jumped on the news to accuse Hollande of political dirty tricks to discredit them ahead of local elections later this month.
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