The trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began this week. He is accused of receiving funds from the government of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential campaign. About this informs DW.
Sarkozy is accused of passive corruption, illegal financing of the election campaign, creation of a criminal group and embezzlement of public funds. If the charges are proven, the 69-year-old politician faces up to 10 years in prison.
The former president called the document, which allegedly confirms funding from the Libyan regime, “fake”. His lawyer said that the defense hopes for an objective trial by the court, without bias and baseless theories, which the lawyer said influenced the investigation.
Along with Sarkozy, eleven more people are on trial, including three former ministers. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Taqieddin, who prosecutors say was the middleman in the case, fled to Lebanon and will not be present at the trial.
The investigation, which was called the “Libyan case”, has been ongoing since 2011. In 2016, the case gained resonance after Takieddine’s statement that he personally transferred suitcases of cash from Libyan officials to the French Ministry of the Interior.
