France: Ex-Pres. Sarkozy on Trial Over Libya Cash Case
Former French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial Monday on charges of receiving illegal campaign financing of around €50M ($52M) from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, 69, has denied wrongdoing.
Facts
- Former French Pres. Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial Monday on charges of receiving illegal campaign financing of around €50M ($52M) from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy, 69, has denied wrongdoing.[1][2]
- Sarkozy is accused of "passive corruption, criminal association, illegal campaign financing and concealment of embezzled Libyan public funds" during his 2007 presidential campaign.[3][4]
- If convicted, Sarkozy faces up to 10 years in prison. Since leaving office in 2012, he has already been convicted in two separate cases.[5][6]
- Last month, France's highest court upheld his 2014 conviction for trying to bribe a judge and ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for a year. He's also been convicted of hiding illegal overspending during the 2012 election.[7][8]
- The trial, which follows a decade-long probe after France's Mediapart website published documents revealing the alleged Sarkozy-Gaddafi pact, is expected to continue until April 10.[9][10]
- Others facing trial include Sarkozy's former close aide Claude Gueant and former minister, Brice Hortefeux. Franco-Lebanese businessman, Ziad Takieddine, accused of being an intermediary, has reportedly fled for Lebanon.[2][5]
Sources: [1]Le Monde, [2]The Hill, [3]Euractiv, [4]Independent, [5]France 24, [6]The Times, [7]BBC News, [8]The Guardian, [9]POLITICO and [10]Border Telegraph.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by EuroNews and UCL News. This case is a testament to French democracy. It shatters the myth of presidential immunity. It shows that a "republican monarch" faces the same justice system as any citizen, and, accordingly, this case could be a milestone. The tenacity of those pursuing a former president despite immense political pressure proves that power and privilege no longer shield anyone from accountability in modern France.
- Narrative B, as provided by The Whistler Newspaper and The Guardian. A former French president stands accused based on a web of disputed evidence and retracted testimonies. Sarkozy, who helped liberate Libya from Gaddafi's grip, now faces the bitter irony of being tied to the very dictator he helped overthrow. The probe is based largely on circumstantial evidence, with witnesses mysteriously dying and a plethora of conflicting statements.
