After 10 years of judicial investigation, 13 individuals have been referred to a criminal court, regarding the Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 French Presidential campaign, including a former CEO of the aviation company Airbus.
French media revealed new information on Wednesday, in the case of Muammar Gaddafi’s financing of Sarkozy’s campaign.
In March 2022, the former CEO of Airbus, Edward Olmos was arrested in a hotel. The investigating judges suspect him of receiving undue commissions for the sale of 12 Airbus planes to Libya.
The former executive is charged with “complicity in corruption, active bribery, criminal association, and money laundering.”
Throughout this time, Airbus claimed that it “cooperated with the authorities as part of a French judicial investigation concerning Libya. Accordingly, the company responded positively to the authorities’ requests for information.”
According to the French newspaper Libération, Olmos is accused of issuing an order to pay two million euros to Sarkozy’s business manager, Alexandre Djouhri, after the sale of 12 planes to Libya in 2006.
During the investigation, Djouhri admitted to receiving bribes. The intermediary, who was seen wearing an Airbus badge during the contract signing, was linked to Bashir Saleh, a close associate of Gaddafi.
The newspaper mentioned that Airbus”l used these intermediaries to facilitate aircraft sales abroad, which often involved questionable financial arrangements.
Sarkozy is set to face trial in 2025 over allegations that he received financial support from Gaddafi.
The trial, scheduled to take place from January to April 2025, promises to reveal explosive evidence of a conspiracy involving the right-wing politician and the illicit acceptance of funds from the Libyan leader.
Sarkozy, who has been plagued by a series of legal troubles since his single term in office, vehemently denies the allegations. However, these charges represent the most serious accusations against him and have the potential to further damage his reputation.
The 68-year-old former President has previously been convicted twice on charges of corruption and influence-peddling in separate cases related to attempts to manipulate a judge and campaign financing. Despite these convictions, Sarkozy has appealed against both judgments.
Alongside Sarkozy, twelve other individuals, including his former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his former campaign financing head Eric Woerth, and former minister Brice Hortefeux, will also face trial in connection with the alleged Libyan funding scandal.
Former Airbus CEO Involved in Libyan Financing of Sarkozy Campaign After 10 years of judicial investigation, 13 individuals have been referred to a criminal court, regarding the Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 French Presidential campaign, including a former CEO of the aviation company Airbus.
French media revealed new information on Wednesday, in the case of Muammar Gaddafi’s financing of Sarkozy’s campaign. In March 2022, the former CEO of Airbus, Edward Olmos was arrested in a hotel. The investigating judges suspect him of receiving undue commissions for the sale of 12 Airbus planes to Libya. The former executive is charged with “complicity in corruption, active bribery, criminal association, and money laundering.”
Throughout this time, Airbus claimed that it “cooperated with the authorities as part of a French judicial investigation concerning Libya. Accordingly, the company responded positively to the authorities’ requests for information.” According to the French newspaper Libération, Olmos is accused of issuing an order to pay two million euros to Sarkozy’s business manager, Alexandre Djouhri, after the sale of 12 planes to Libya in 2006. During the investigation, Djouhri admitted to receiving bribes. The intermediary, who was seen wearing an Airbus badge during the contract signing, was linked to Bashir Saleh, a close associate of Gaddafi.
The newspaper mentioned that Airbus”l used these intermediaries to facilitate aircraft sales abroad, which often involved questionable financial arrangements. Sarkozy is set to face trial in 2025 over allegations that he received financial support from Gaddafi.
The trial, scheduled to take place from January to April 2025, promises to reveal explosive evidence of a conspiracy involving the right-wing politician and the illicit acceptance of funds from the Libyan leader. Sarkozy, who has been plagued by a series of legal troubles since his single term in office, vehemently denies the allegations. However, these charges represent the most serious accusations against him and have the potential to further damage his reputation.
The 68-year-old former President has previously been convicted twice on charges of corruption and influence-peddling in separate cases related to attempts to manipulate a judge and campaign financing. Despite these convictions, Sarkozy has appealed against both judgments. Alongside Sarkozy, twelve other individuals, including his former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his former campaign financing head Eric Woerth, and former minister Brice Hortefeux, will also face trial in connection with the alleged Libyan funding scandal.