Former France president Sarkozy faces trial over alleged campaign funds from Libya News
© WikiMedia (Jacques Paquier)
Former France president Sarkozy faces trial over alleged campaign funds from Libya

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy appeared in court on Monday over allegations of receiving illegal funding from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential campaign.

New evidence, including testimony from former Libyan officials, was presented in the hearing, local media outlet L’Union reported. The witnesses allege that Gaddafi personally approved the payments to Sarkozy, aiming to strengthen Libya’s influence in Europe.  French prosecutors have also introduced banking records and intercepted communications as key evidence.

The prosecution alleges that Sargkozy’s campaign team received approximately 50 million euros in illicit cash transfers from Gaddafi’s regime, more than the 21 million euros limit under French campaign finance laws in 2007. These laws also prohibit candidates from accepting funding from foreign governments or entities to ensure transparency and prevent undue influence on the democratic process.

The investigation first gained momentum in 2012 when Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader, accused Sarkozy of accepting campaign funds. Following investigations and legal battles, the court ruled the claim admissible in 2013.

Sarkozy has already been involved in several other legal cases. One involves a 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling, resulting in a three-year prison sentence with two years suspended and one year of house arrest, which the Court of Cassation upheld in December 2024, which Sarkozy plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Sarkozy has consistently denied the allegations, calling them “judicial harassment” and an injustice. His legal team has argued that the evidence is based on unreliable testimony and questioned the credibility of witnesses, including some individuals with ties to the former Libyan regime.

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