Former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has faced legal battles since leaving office, is set to appear in court Monday for a trial over allegations of accepting illicit campaign funding from Libya during his 2007 presidential bid.
The charges, linked to a purported deal with the late Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, have cast a shadow over Sarkozy’s political legacy.
Despite his legal woes, the 69-year-old remains an influential figure in French politics and is known to maintain close ties with President Emmanuel Macron.
Dubbed the “hyper-president” for his dynamic leadership style during his 2007-2012 tenure, Sarkozy has already been convicted in two separate cases, faces charges in another, and is under investigation in two more.
This latest trial comes less than a month after France’s highest appeals court upheld a one-year prison sentence for influence peddling.
Sarkozy, who will serve the sentence via electronic monitoring, is expected to be present at the Paris court when proceedings begin at 1230 GMT.
According to a source close to him, the former president plans to attend the early sessions of the trial.
The case involves 12 defendants, including key figures from Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign, accused of orchestrating a pact with Kadhafi to secure illegal funding.
All deny the allegations. Sarkozy’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain stated, “He will fight the artificial construction dreamed up by the prosecution. There was no Libyan financing.”
If convicted, Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in prison on charges of concealing embezzlement and illegal campaign funding.
The trial is expected to run until April 10.
Allegations of a Libyan Pact
The accusations, stemming from a decade-long investigation, claim that Sarkozy and his associates promised to help rehabilitate Kadhafi’s global image in exchange for financial backing.
At the time, Libya was widely condemned for its involvement in high-profile terrorist attacks, including the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie and the 1989 UTA Flight 772 bombing over Niger.
Prosecutors base their case on testimonies from seven former Libyan officials, records of visits by Sarkozy’s allies Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux, financial transfers, and the notebooks of Shukri Ghanem, a former Libyan oil minister who was found dead in the Danube in 2012.
Sarkozy, however, has dismissed the allegations as a conspiracy, stating he never received funds from Kadhafi and asserting that no credible evidence exists.
Other defendants include Claude Gueant, Sarkozy’s ex-chief of staff, Eric Woerth, his campaign treasurer, and former minister Brice Hortefeux.
Claims of Witness Tampering
In December 2007, Kadhafi visited Paris, drawing international attention as he pitched his tent in the heart of the French capital.
However, by 2011, France supported UN-backed military efforts that led to Kadhafi’s overthrow and eventual death. Sarkozy claims the accusations against him are acts of revenge by former members of Kadhafi’s regime.
The scandal first emerged in April 2012, during Sarkozy’s re-election campaign, when Mediapart published a report citing a 2006 document referencing an agreement for campaign financing. Sarkozy has consistently challenged the document’s authenticity.
Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, initially a central figure in the case, alleged he delivered millions of euros in cash from Kadhafi to Sarkozy’s campaign.
However, in 2020, Takieddine retracted his statements, prompting suspicions that Sarkozy’s team may have influenced his reversal.
In October 2023, Sarkozy faced new charges of illegal witness tampering, while his wife, Carla Bruni, was charged last year with concealing evidence in the same matter.
As Sarkozy prepares to defend himself, the trial adds yet another chapter to his embattled post-presidency career.
