Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is comparing investigators who tapped his phones during a campaign funding probe to the secret police in the old East Germany.
Conservative Sarkozy spoke out publicly about the phone-tapping for the first time in an essay in today's Le Figaro.
The phone-tapping has raised questions over the limits between investigative needs and the privacy of individuals. Conversations between Sarkozy and his lawyer were among those tapped.
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Sarkozy, considering a political comeback, said anyone who calls him "should know they are being listened to" and compared the situation to a film about the Stasi police in Communist-era East Germany or a dictator spying on opponents.
Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called the comparison "intolerable," saying in a statement that all citizens under investigation are treated equally.
