Former French President Sarkozy on trial for alleged Libyan Gaddafi campaign finance

PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial Monday on charges that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally funded by the government of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The so-called “Libya case”, the largest and perhaps most shocking of several scandals involving Sarkozy, is expected to last until April 10, with a verdict expected later.

Sarkozy, 69, faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement and criminal enterprise, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has denied any wrongdoing.

The trial involves 11 other defendants, including three former ministers. Ziad Takieddine, a French-Lebanese businessman accused of playing a middleman role, has fled to Lebanon and is not expected to appear before a Paris court.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, said in a statement that Sarkozy was “firmly” looking forward to the hearing.

“Libya did not provide financial support for this campaign,” the statement read. “We want to believe that the court has the courage to examine the facts objectively and not be guided by vague theories that undermine the drug investigation.”

Gaddafi’s so-called deal

The case came to light in March 2011, when a Libyan news agency reported that Gaddafi’s government had funded Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign. Gaddafi himself said in an interview that “thanks to us he was able to ascend to the presidency. We provided him with the funds to win,” without providing any amount or other details.

In 2007, Sarkozy was honored to welcome Gaddafi to Paris. In March 2011, the “Arab Spring” pro-democracy protests swept the Arab world, and Sarkozy became one of the first Western leaders to promote military intervention in Libya. one. In October of the same year, Gaddafi was killed by opposition militants, ending his four-year rule of the North African country.

The following year, the French online news website Mediapart published a purported Libyan secret service document in which Gaddafi agreed to provide 50 million euros in financing for Sarkozy’s campaign.

Sarkozy has strongly denied the accusations, calling the document a “blatant forgery” and has complained of forgery, concealment and spreading false information.

However, French investigative judges ultimately said in 2016 that the document had all the hallmarks of a genuine document, although there was no clear evidence that such a transaction had taken place.

The official cost of Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign was 20 million euros.

Witness tampering with accusations

French investigators have investigated multiple trips to Libya between 2005 and 2007 by people close to then-Interior Minister Sarkozy, including his chief of staff Claude Guyon. They also noted dozens of meetings between Guéon and Takidine, a key player in major French military contracts overseas.

The investigation drew attention in 2016 after Takieddine revealed to news website Mediapart that he had delivered three suitcases containing millions in cash from Libya to the French interior ministry.

Four years later, however, Takidine reversed his claims.

A separate investigation has since been launched into alleged witness tampering, as magistrates suspected there was an attempt to pressure Takidine to clear Sarkozy’s name. Preliminary charges were brought against Sarkozy and his wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, with financial prosecutors saying the former president allegedly benefited “through corrupt influence” on Takidine.

11 other defendants

The other defendants are three former French ministers, including Guéon, and a former adviser close to Sarkozy.

Like Takidine, French-Algerian businessman Alexandre Juchry is accused of being a middleman.

The case also involves Gaddafi’s former chief of staff and finance chief Bashir Saleh, who sought asylum in France during Libya’s civil war before moving to South Africa and surviving a shooting in 2018 came down and then settled in the United Arab Emirates.

Other defendants include two Saudi billionaires, a former Airbus executive and a former banker who are accused of playing a role in the alleged transfer of funds.

Shukri Ghanem, Gaddafi’s former oil minister who was also suspected, was found dead in the Danube River in Vienna in 2012. The cause of death is unknown. French investigators found Ghanim’s notebooks, which are believed to have recorded payments from Libya.

Gaddafi’s spy chief and brother-in-law Abdullah Senussi told the investigating judge that millions of dollars had indeed been given to support Sarkozy’s campaign. He has been accused of war crimes and is currently being held in Libya.

Sarkozy was found guilty in two other cases

Sarkozy has been convicted in two other scandals, but the Libyan case appears to be the one most likely to have a major impact on his legacy.

France’s top court last month upheld Sarkozy’s convictions for corruption and influence-peddling while he was head of state. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest with an electronic bracelet. The case came to light when investigating judges monitored phone hacking during the Libyan investigation.

In February last year, a Paris appeals court found Sarkozy guilty of illegal campaign financing in his failed re-election bid in 2012.