Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy faces charges of illegal campaign financing and corruption related to alleged funding from the Libyan government during his 2007 presidential campaign.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's trial began on Monday over alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of then-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, 69, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, did not speak to the press upon arrival at the Paris court. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The Libyan case, the biggest and possibly most shocking of several scandals involving Sarkozy, is scheduled to run until April 10, with a verdict expected at a later date. Sarkozy faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association, which could lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years. The trial involves 11 other defendants, including three former ministers. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, accused of acting as an intermediary, has fled to Lebanon and is not expected to appear at the Paris court. Sarkozy is approaching the hearings “with determination,” his lawyer Christophe Ingrain said in a statement. “There is no Libyan financing of the campaign,” the statement said. “We want to believe the court will have the courage to examine the facts objectively, without being guided by the nebulous theory that poisoned the investigation.” The case emerged in March 2011, when a Libyan news agency reported that the Gadhafi government had financed Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. In an interview, Gadhafi himself said “it’s thanks to us that he reached the presidency. We provided him with the funds that allowed him to win,” without providing any amount or other details. Sarkozy, who had welcomed Gadhafi to Paris with great honors in 2007, became one of the first Western leaders to advocate for a military intervention in Libya in March 2011, when Arab Spring pro-democracy protests swept the Arab world. Gadhafi was killed by opposition fighters in October that same year, ending his four-decade rule of the North African country
NICOLAS SARKOZY TRIAL LIBYA CAMPAIGN FINANCING CORRUPTION
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