Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and 12 other people will appear before the Paris Criminal Court on January 6 in a case involving alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.
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Sarkozy is accused of illegal campaign financing, concealing the embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption and participation in a criminal organization. The case is being called one of the most significant in modern French history.
According to the investigation, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, in prior collusion with Sarkozy, transferred about €50 million to support his victorious election campaign in 2007. This amount significantly exceeds the limit set by French law.
French prosecutors allege that Sarkozy received money in exchange for diplomatic services, such as rehabilitating Gaddafi on the international stage and attempting to overturn a French conviction of Libyan intelligence chief Abdallah Senussi.
In 2012, the media published a memo from Libyan intelligence services, which stated that shortly before the start of the election campaign, the Gaddafi regime paid Sarkozyʼs team €50 million. And a year earlier, Gaddafiʼs son Saif al-Islam first stated in an interview with Euronews that Sarkozyʼs campaign was financed by Libya. In 2013, French law enforcement took up the case.
In addition to Sarkozy, the case involves 12 other defendants, including three of his former ministers — Claude Gueant, Brice Ortefeuille and Eric Werth — and two businessmen suspected of being intermediaries — Ziad Takikeddine and Alexandre Jouchri. But Takikeddine has fled to Lebanon and will not appear in court.
Sarkozy categorically denies all allegations. His lawyer said that there was no Libyan funding for Sarkozyʼs election campaign.
The trial is expected to last until April 10, 2025. Sarkozy faces 10 years in prison and a fine of €375 000.
Sarkozyʼs affairs
Nicolas Sarkozy was President of France from 2007 to 2012.
On March 1, 2021, a Paris court found Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling. He received a three-year prison sentence, one year of which was a real term and two years were suspended.
And on September 30, 2021, Sarkozy was found guilty of fraud related to the financing of the 2012 election campaign. According to the investigation, Sarkozyʼs team spent €43 million on the election campaign — almost twice the allowed amount. In February 2024, the court confirmed this verdict.
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