Trial of Sarkozy begins

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has appeared in court once again. The trial in which Sarkozy is accused of receiving illegal financing from Libya for his 2007 presidential election campaign has begun at the Paris Criminal Court.

Sarkozy is being tried on charges of entering into a corruption deal with Libya's late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2007 to support his election to the presidency. Prosecutors accuse Sarkozy of bribery, embezzlement of public funds, illegal campaign financing, and forming a criminal organization.

If found guilty of these charges, Sarkozy faces a potential sentence of 10 years in prison, a 375 thousand euro fine, and a 5-year ban from political rights.

Denying the accusations in court, Sarkozy stated, “There is talk of such a large amount of financing, so why is there no evidence of it?” The judges stated that significant evidence regarding the case is available.

A total of 12 people, including 3 former ministers, will be tried alongside Sarkozy in the case. Among those being tried are members of Sarkozy's inner circle, including Claude Gueant, Brice Hortefeux, Eric Woerth, and Cedric Gaubert. These individuals are accused of organizing and transferring illegal funds from Libya. On the Libyan side, the regime's former finance official Bachir Saleh is being tried, though Saleh remains a fugitive. Meanwhile, the charges against one of the defendants, Sivajothi Rajendram, are expected to be dropped as it has been learned that he has passed away.

During the hearing, the lawyer for Saudi businessman Khaled Ali Bugshan raised a constitutional objection. However, the court decided not to refer the objection to the French Court of Cassation. Following this decision, other requests from the defense began to be evaluated.

HE HAD BEEN SENTENCED TO HOUSE ARREST

In December of last year, the French Supreme Court upheld the 3-year prison sentence, with 2 years suspended, handed down to Sarkozy in a case where he was tried for corruption and bribing a judge in 2021. It was decided that Sarkozy would be placed under house arrest and required to wear an electronic tag.

News Source: İHA