Sarkozy in court over alleged Libyan funding for 2007 presidential campaign

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared in court on January 6, accused of financing his 2007 presidential campaign with funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The charges include passive corruption, criminal conspiracy, illegal campaign financing, and concealing embezzled Libyan public funds, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Sarkozy, who has consistently denied the allegations, described the accusations as a "fable" and claimed to be the primary target of the French judiciary.

Prosecutors allege that Sarkozy’s associates received millions of euros from Libya through offshore accounts or cash transactions, coinciding with his 2007 election campaign. Documents obtained by investigative journal Mediapart in 2011 suggest the funds were covertly utilized during the campaign.

A decade-long investigation spanning 17 countries uncovered evidence linking Sarkozy’s inner circle to alleged financial dealings with Gaddafi's regime. Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman, is accused of serving as the main intermediary.

In 2016, Takieddine claimed to have delivered €5 million in cash from Tripoli to Paris in 2006, including two suitcases handed to Sarkozy’s former chief of staff, Claude Guéant, and one directly to Sarkozy. Takieddine later retracted his statement in 2020 and remains a fugitive in Lebanon.

Sarkozy could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a €1 million fine if convicted. Twelve other defendants, including ex-interior ministers Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant, and former budget minister Éric Woerth, are also standing trial.

"This trial is historic," said legal expert Marie Legrand. "It marks one of the most significant cases involving allegations of corruption at the highest level of French politics."

Sarkozy's legal woes are compounded by a separate conviction in December, which saw him sentenced to a year of house arrest with an electronic bracelet. This was the heaviest sentence ever handed down to a former president of France's Fifth Republic.

The trial has drawn significant attention, with more than 200 journalists accredited to cover the proceedings. Sarkozy’s case has also sparked political debate, with far-right leader Marine Le Pen suggesting that he is a victim of judicial overreach, echoing her own ongoing legal battles.

By Aghakazim Guliyev