text: Nicolas Sarkozy was being grilled by judges in a criminal court today  two days after being heralded as the politician to save France from Socialism. The 60-year-old is facing charges over the funding of his failed 2012 bid to retain the presidency of the country. Images of Sarkozy arriving at a specialist financial court in Paris today are a huge embarrassment for a politician who still thinks he can return to power. Slinking back into public view: Nicolas Sarkozy is driven to court where he faces charges over the funding of his failed 2012 bid to retain the presidency of the country - two days after being heralded as France's saviour . Thierry Herzog, the lawyer of the former French President and current head of the right-wing UMP opposition party, arrives at the Pole Financier headquarters (the fraud section of the courthouse) in Paris . Not only was he roundly beaten by Francois Hollande, his detested Socialist rival, but he is alleged to have got the UMP party to pay off his personal fine approaching £500,000 for over-spending. Under French electoral law, Sarkozy should have paid the fine himself from his own funds. On Sunday, his party made massive electoral gains against the Socialists in regional elections, and Sarkozy is convinced he can become president again in 2017. After the UMP won 66 out of 101 departments - the French equivalent of counties - Sarkozy announced: 'The French have massively rejected the policies of Francois Hollande and his government. 'Hope has been reborn in France.' Happier outing: On Sunday, Sarkozy's party made massive electoral gains against the Socialists in regional elections and he is convinced he can become president again in 2017 . Under pressure: France's ruling Socialists under Francois Hollande (pictured) suffered a crushing defeat in regional elections at the weekend - as three years of left-wing rule was branded a 'massive failure' But his former lieutenant Jean-François Cope has already been charged in the funding case and Sarkozy could suffer the same fate today. It will add to a long list of corruption scandals, which started for Sarkozy as soon as he lost his presidential immunity from prosecution. Within days of leaving the Elysee Palace in 2012, the Paris home he shares with his third wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni, was raided by police. He is facing criminal charges in numerous cases, including an investigation into more than £15million of false billing by Bygmalion, an events-organising company, during the 2012 campaign. It has also been alleged that Sarkozy's successful 2007 presidential campaign was funded by millions of pounds worth of illegal cash from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, the late Libyan dictator. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing in any of the cases against him. He refused to speak to reporters before arriving in court at 8am today and is expected to spend most of the day in a closed sitting with judges.
target: Sarkozy faces charges over funding of failed 2012 bid to retain presidency .
  Declared that 'hope has been reborn' after huge gains in regional elections .
  But just days later, he is pictured being driven to a financial court hearing .