Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has firmly rejected accusations of receiving illegal campaign funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. Speaking at his trial in Paris, Sarkozy, who governed from 2007 to 2012, faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement, and criminal association. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Sarkozy vehemently denied the claims, stating, “You will never find one Libyan euro, one Libyan cent in my campaign.” He accused “groups of liars and crooks,” including the “Gaddafi clan,” of fabricating the allegations as part of a “plot.” The trial, which began this week, is expected to conclude on 10 April.
The accusations surfaced in March 2011, when a Libyan news outlet alleged that Gaddafi had funded Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign. Sarkozy argued that the timing of these claims, which followed his call for Gaddafi to step down amid Libya’s 2011 uprising, cast doubt on their credibility. He dismissed a key document suggesting a €50 million donation from Libya’s secret services as fake, despite French investigators finding it potentially authentic.
Investigators Scrutinize Sarkozy’s Connections to Libya
French authorities examined trips made by Sarkozy’s close associates to Libya between 2005 and 2007, including his then-chief of staff Claude Guéant. Sarkozy pointed to a diplomatic success early in his presidency: securing the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor from Libyan custody.
The medics had been sentenced to death for allegedly infecting children with HIV in Benghazi, charges widely condemned internationally. After their release, Sarkozy visited Tripoli and signed agreements with Libya in areas such as defence, health, and counterterrorism.
The trial involves 11 other defendants, including three former ministers. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, accused of acting as an intermediary, fled to Lebanon and did not attend. Gaddafi’s former chief of staff Bashir Saleh, another co-defendant, also did not appear, having moved to South Africa and later the UAE.
Sarkozy’s Legal Troubles and Legacy
Sarkozy has already been convicted in two other cases, with the Libyan scandal posing a significant threat to his political legacy. Last month, France’s Court of Cassation upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling during his presidency. He was sentenced to one year under house arrest with an electronic bracelet.
That conviction stemmed from wiretapped phone conversations recorded during the Libya investigation. In February 2022, a Paris appeals court found Sarkozy guilty of illegal campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid.
Despite these setbacks, Sarkozy maintains his innocence, insisting there is no evidence of corruption in the Libyan case. “There is no corruption money because there was no corruption of the candidate,” he declared during the trial.
