French Ex-President Sarkozy Convicted of Conspiracy in Libyan Funding Trial
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted by a Paris court for criminal conspiracy in connection with alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 election campaign, though he was acquitted of corruption and illegal campaign financing.
The verdict, delivered on Thursday, adds to the string of legal troubles facing the 70-year-old ex-leader, who denies any wrongdoing.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s highest honour.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino ruled that Sarkozy, as minister and party leader at the time, allowed close allies to approach Libyan authorities for financial support.
However, the court did not uphold prosecutors’ claims that he personally benefited. He was cleared of charges of embezzlement, passive corruption, and illegal financing.
Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail sentence, with the final sentencing expected later in the hearing. Sarkozy was present in court with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
Two of his former aides, Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux, were also convicted, while campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was acquitted.
The ruling came just two days after the death of Ziad Takieddine, a key accuser who had claimed to deliver millions in cash from late Libyan dictator Muammar Kadhafi to Sarkozy. Takieddine, who later retracted and contradicted his claims, died in Beirut on Tuesday at the age of 75.
Prosecutors argued Sarkozy and his team struck a secret pact with Kadhafi in 2005 to fund the campaign, promising to help rehabilitate Libya’s image internationally.
Despite his legal woes, Sarkozy remains influential within France’s right-wing politics and continues to maintain ties with President Emmanuel Macron.
AFP
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