France's former President Sarkozy stands trial over alleged campaign funding by Libya's Gadhafi

PARIS — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial Monday over the alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

Sarkozy, 69, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, did not speak to the press as he arrived at the court in Paris. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The Libyan case, the biggest and possibly most shocking of several scandals involving him, is scheduled to run until April 10, with a verdict expected at a later date.

Sarkozy faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds and criminal association, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The trial involves 11 other defendants, including three former ministers. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, accused of having played the role of intermediary, has fled in Lebanon and did not appear at the Paris court.

Sarkozy to show ''determination''

Sarkozy is looking forward to the hearings ''with determination,'' his lawyer Christophe Ingrain said in a statement.

As the court debated complex legal issues Monday, Sarkozy appeared both focused and nervous, fidgeting with his hands and feet as he sat in the dock.

Anti-corruption groups Sherpa, Anticor and Transparency International joined the proceedings, stressing in a statement ''this alleged illegal financing shows the mechanisms of cross-border corruption, which deprives civilian populations of essential public resources by siphoning funds for the benefit of private and political interests.''

''It is important that the issue of the victims of corruption is not left out of this trial,'' they said.

Gadhafi's alleged agreement

The case emerged in March 2011, when a Libyan news agency reported that the Gadhafi government had financed Sarkozy's 2007 campaign. In an interview, Gadhafi himself said ''it's thanks to us that he reached the presidency. We provided him with the funds that allowed him to win,'' without providing any amount or other details.

The next year, French online news site Mediapart published a document said to be a note from the Libyan secret services, mentioning Gadhafi's agreement to provide Sarkozy's campaign 50 million euros in financing.

Sarkozy strongly rejected the accusations, calling the document a ''blatant fake'' and filing complaints for forgery, concealment and spreading false news.

However, French investigative magistrates eventually said in 2016 the document has all the characteristics of authenticity, although there is no definitive evidence that such a transaction took place.

The official cost for Sarkozy's 2007 campaign was 20 million euros.

Accusations of witness tampering

The investigation gained traction when Takieddine told news site Mediapart in 2016 that he had delivered three suitcases from Libya containing millions in cash to the French Interior Ministry.

However, Takieddinne reversed his statement four years later.

Since then, a separate investigation has been launched into alleged witness tampering as magistrates suspect an attempt to pressure Takieddine in order to clear Sarkozy. Sarkozy and his wife, former supermodel Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, were given preliminary charges as financial prosecutors said the former president is suspected of ''benefitting from corruptly influencing'' Takieddine.

11 other defendants

The other accused are three former French ministers, including Guéant, and a former adviser close to Sarkozy.

The case also involves Gadhafi's former chief of staff and treasurer Bashir Saleh, who sought refuge in France during the Libyan civil war, then moved to South Africa, where he survived a shooting in 2018, before settling in the United Arab Emirates. Saleh did not appear Monday at the Paris trial.

Other defendants include two Saudi billionaires, a former Airbus executive and a former banker accused of having played a role in the alleged money transfers.

Shukri Ghanem, Gadhafi's former oil minister who was also under suspicion, was found dead in the Danube River in Vienna in 2012 in unclear circumstances. French investigators were able to find Ghanem's notebook, which is believed to document payments made by Libya.

Gadhafi's spy chief and brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senoussi told investigative judges millions were indeed provided to support Sarkozy's campaign. Accused of war crimes, he is now imprisoned in Libya.

Sarkozy convicted in 2 other cases

France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, last month upheld a conviction against Sarkozy of corruption and influence peddling while he was the head of state. He was sentenced to one year under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. The case was revealed as investigative judges were listening to wiretapped phone conversations during the Libya inquiry.