PARIS — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy strongly criticized a so-called “plot” involving “liars and crooks” during a trial in Paris regarding claims that his 2007 presidential campaign received illegal funding from the Libyan government under Moammar Gadhafi.
In his initial comments since the trial commenced on Monday, the 69-year-old Sarkozy stated emphatically, “You will never find one Libyan euro, one Libyan cent in my campaign.”
Serving as president from 2007 to 2012, Sarkozy now faces several serious charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of public fund embezzlement, and criminal association, which could result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
The trial is set to continue until April 10, with the verdict to be determined subsequently.
Speaking with nervous energy yet a commanding voice, Sarkozy accused “groups of liars and crooks,” particularly members of the “Gadhafi clan,” of propagating the allegations that led to this investigation. He adamantly labeled his situation as a “plot.”
The investigation began in March 2011 when a Libyan news outlet claimed that the Gadhafi regime financially supported Sarkozy’s campaign. Sarkozy pointed out that the disclosures from Libya surfaced shortly after he publicly declared that Gadhafi should be ousted.
He was among the first Western leaders advocating for military action in Libya during the Arab Spring in 2011, which ultimately resulted in Gadhafi’s death in October of that same year, concluding his four-decade reign over Libya.
Sarkozy questioned the legitimacy of the statements emerging from Libya, stating, “What credibility can be given to such statements marked by the seal of vengeance?”
He also claimed that a supposed document from Libyan intelligence, which reportedly contains Gadhafi’s endorsement of 50 million euros ($51.4 million) in funding for Sarkozy’s campaign, was fraudulent. In contrast, French investigative judges declared in 2016 that the document bore signs of authenticity, despite the lack of definitive proof of such a financial transaction.
“I want you to feel the indignation, sincerity, and anger,” Sarkozy expressed to the court. “There is no corruption money because there was no corruption of the (presidential) candidate.”
French investigators have delved into various trips made to Libya by Sarkozy’s associates while he was serving as interior minister from 2005 to 2007, which includes scrutiny of his former chief of staff, Claude Guéant.
Reflecting on his early presidency, Sarkozy recounted his successful negotiation with Gadhafi in 2007 that resulted in the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who had been wrongfully sentenced to death for allegedly infecting Libyan children with HIV in the 1990s.
“If you don’t discuss with Gadhafi, you don’t liberate the nurses!” Sarkozy emphasized, expressing pride in this particular diplomatic achievement.
Following Sarkozy’s visit to Tripoli, the two nations entered into extensive cooperation agreements covering defense, health, anti-terrorism efforts, and civilian nuclear power.
This legal case also involves 11 additional defendants, which includes three former French ministers.
Businessman Ziad Takieddine, who is accused of acting as an intermediary, has fled to Lebanon and did not appear at the court proceedings.
Another defendant, Gadhafi’s ex-chief of staff and treasurer Bashir Saleh, has likewise been absent from the trial; he initially sought refuge in France during the Libyan civil conflict, later relocated to South Africa, where he narrowly survived a shooting, and is currently settled in the UAE.
Although Sarkozy has faced convictions in two other separate scandals, this Libyan case seems to have the most potential to impact his legacy significantly.
Last month, France’s highest judicial body, the Court of Cassation, upheld a previous conviction against Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling while in office, resulting in a sentence of one year of house arrest with an electronic monitoring device. This case emerged as a result of authorities listening to intercepted conversations during the Libya inquiry.
Additionally, in February of last year, a Paris appeals court found Sarkozy guilty of illegal campaign financing related to his unsuccessful reelection campaign in 2012.
