Former French President Nicholas Sarkozy went on trial on Monday over allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally financed by the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy, who has been twice convicted for separate crimes since leaving office, has described the allegations as part of a conspiracy against him.
The court sessions are expected to continue for four months before a verdict is announced.
The allegations center around claims that Sarkozy accepted millions of euros in illicit funds from Gaddafi’s regime to fuel his election bid.
These funds, estimated at €50 million, would have been far above the legal campaign financing limits in France. Investigators argue that the funds were funneled through complex networks of intermediaries in a deal struck between Sarkozy and Gaddafi during a 2005 meeting in Libya.
The 2005 meeting, initially described as a discussion on migration issues, allegedly resulted in a secret pact. In exchange for financial support, Sarkozy, then France’s Interior Minister, purportedly promised to help Gaddafi rehabilitate his international image, portraying him as a legitimate and cooperative global leader.
The trial also revisits the strained relationship between the two leaders in later years. In 2011, Sarkozy became a key figure in the NATO-led military intervention in Libya that ultimately led to Gaddafi’s ouster and death.
Some observers see the allegations of campaign financing as an act of posthumous retaliation by Gaddafi’s inner circle, aimed at exposing the hypocrisy of a Western leader who turned against his benefactor.
French investigators have gathered extensive evidence over the past decade, including testimony from Ziad Takieddine, a French-Lebanese businessman who claims to have personally delivered suitcases filled with cash from Libya to Sarkozy’s campaign team.
Additional evidence includes documents recovered from Libyan archives and testimonies from former Libyan officials who allegedly oversaw the financial transactions.
Sarkozy, alongside three former ministers, faces charges of corruption, illegal campaign financing, and embezzlement of public funds. He has denied all allegations, calling the case politically motivated and accusing investigators of bias. Sarkozy’s legal team has repeatedly argued that the evidence is inconclusive and based on unreliable testimony.
