A court in Paris has declared former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of conspiracy. The verdict, delivered on Thursday, stems from serious allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign secretly received millions of euros from Libya’s late leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. At 70 years old, Sarkozy faced accusations of using these illicit funds to finance his path to the presidency.
Prosecutors argued that Sarkozy accepted significant financial backing from Gaddafi. In return, the money was meant to help improve Libya’s international image, as the country was often viewed with suspicion by Western nations. While found guilty of conspiracy, the court cleared Sarkozy of other accusations, including direct bribery and illegal campaign financing.
The long and winding investigation into these claims began in 2013. It was first sparked when Gaddafi’s son, Seif al-Islam, publicly stated that Sarkozy’s campaign had received huge amounts of money. Adding weight to these allegations, Ziad Takieddine, a Lebanese businessman known for his long-standing connections between France and the Middle East, later confirmed the existence of written proof. He claimed that up to 50 million euros had flowed from Libya, both before and after Sarkozy took office.
The legal fallout has also touched Sarkozy’s personal life. His wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a celebrated Italian former model and singer, was charged last year. She faces accusations of concealing evidence related to the Libyan money and playing a role in fraud. Bruni-Sarkozy has denied all these charges.
Since his defeat in the 2012 presidential election, Sarkozy has become the target of several criminal investigations. His current legal battles extend beyond this recent conspiracy conviction. Just this past February, he was found guilty of overspending on his 2012 re-election campaign. He was also accused of hiring a public relations firm to hide this fact. The court sentenced him to one year in prison, with six months suspended. Sarkozy is currently appealing that decision.
In 2021, he made history as the first former French president to receive a prison sentence. That conviction came from an attempt to bribe a judge in 2014. However, an appeals court in Paris decided in December that he could serve this time under house arrest, wearing an electronic tag, instead of going to jail.
Source: BBC