Paris (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted by the Paris criminal court in a criminal conspiracy case involving illegal funding from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential campaign.
However, on Thursday, the court acquitted Sarkozy on three other cases, including passive corruption, embezzlement of Libyan public funds, and illegal campaign financing. The court is still finalising its ruling and has not yet sentenced Sarkozy. He has the option to appeal the verdict, which would delay any sentencing until the appeal is resolved.
What agreement did prosecutors allege Sarkozy made with Gaddafi?
Prosecutors claimed that Sarkozy arranged an agreement with Gaddafi in 2005, while serving as France’s interior minister, to secure campaign funding in return for backing the previously isolated Libyan government internationally.
As reported, Prosecutors informed the court that Sarkozy and his aides arranged a “corruption pact” with Gaddafi and the Libyan regime in 2005, aimed at illegally financing Sarkozy’s winning presidential campaign bid two years later.
The court learned that, in exchange for the money, the Libyan regime sought diplomatic, legal, and business favours, and it was believed that Sarkozy would restore Gaddafi’s international reputation. Prosecutors accused members of Sarkozy’s entourage of meeting Gaddafi’s regime in Libya in 2005, during Sarkozy’s time as interior minister.
The Libyan leader, who ruled for 41 years and was known for human rights abuses, faced international isolation due to his regime’s links to terrorism, such as the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland in December 1988.
How did Sarkozy welcome Gaddafi during his 2007 presidency?
Shortly after taking office as French president in 2007, Sarkozy invited the Libyan leader for an extended state visit to Paris, where he set up his Bedouin tent in the gardens near the Élysée Palace. Sarkozy was the first Western leader to host Gaddafi on an official state visit since relations were frozen in the 1980s due to Gaddafi’s designation as a sponsor of state terrorism.
What other corruption cases has Sarkozy previously been convicted of?
The former French president, who served from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted in two different cases and has had France’s top award, the Legion of Honour, revoked.
In the first case, Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling related to illegal efforts to obtain favours from a judge. He received a one-year jail sentence and served it this year, wearing an electronic tag for three months before he’s eligible for conditional release.
In a second case, he was found guilty of concealing illegal overspending during the 2012 presidential election, which he lost to Socialist candidate François Hollande.
