Nicolas Sarkozy’s political legacy hangs in the balance as French judges prepare to deliver their verdict in the 'Libya cash' trial over the funding of his 2007 presidential campaign.
France is bracing for courtroom drama this Thursday as judges deliver their verdict on whether former president Nicolas Sarkozy pocketed millions in illegal campaign financing from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
It’s the climax of a saga that has mixed politics, international intrigue and now – in a twist worthy of a thriller – the sudden death of Sarkozy’s most persistent accuser.
The ruling could mark another watershed moment in Sarkozy’s turbulent post-presidential years.
Now 70, the former conservative leader has already chalked up two convictions, both under appeal, and even lost France’s highest accolade – the Legion of Honour. But this case is different, as it goes to the very heart of how he won power in 2007.
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Millions in cash?
Prosecutors say Sarkozy and his close circle struck a secret pact with Kadhafi back in 2005.
In return for campaign support, France would help the Libyan leader rehabilitate his international reputation after years of pariah status following the Lockerbie and Niger airline bombings of the late 1980s.
The prosecution claims up to €5 million in cash was funnelled to Sarkozy’s team ahead of the 2007 vote, stuffed into suitcases and delivered via Franco-Lebanese middleman Ziad Takieddine.
The businessman, long a thorn in Sarkozy’s side, repeated the allegations for years before spectacularly backtracking in 2020, only to change his story again later.
In a dramatic coincidence, Takieddine died of cardiac arrest in Beirut on Tuesday at the age of 75.
He had been in prison in northern Lebanon over an unrelated financial dispute.
His sudden death leaves prosecutors without their star witness, though the case still rests on testimony from seven former Libyan officials, bank transfers, Sarkozy allies’ trips to Tripoli and the handwritten notebooks of Libya’s late oil minister Shukri Ghanem – found drowned in the Danube in 2012.
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‘Fight to the end’
Sarkozy has always insisted there was “not a single Libyan cent” in his campaign coffers.
Writing recently in Le Figaro, he pledged: “It will take as long as it takes, but I will fight to the end to prove my innocence.”
He is expected in court on Thursday to hear the verdict. Prosecutors have asked for a seven-year prison sentence, though even if convicted, he is likely to appeal immediately. Few expect the former president to be carted off to jail any time soon.
Alongside Sarkozy, 11 others are in the dock, including his former right-hand man Claude Guéant, campaign finance chief Eric Woerth and ex-minister Brice Hortefeux. All deny any wrongdoing.
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A litany of trials
Legal troubles have dogged Sarkozy since leaving office in 2012.
He became France’s first post-war president actually sentenced to serve jail time when handed a one-year term for corruption in 2021, although he served it at home with an electronic tag before conditional release.
He also picked up another conviction in the so-called “Bygmalion affair” over overspending in his 2012 re-election campaign.
An appeals court last year confirmed the ruling but reduced his sentence to six months in prison and six suspended – another decision he is now contesting.
For all the legal blows, Sarkozy has retained a surprising degree of clout on the French right.
Nicknamed the “hyper-president” for his restless style in office, he remains a regular guest at the Élysée, offering counsel to Emmanuel Macron, and still draws admiration from conservative voters nostalgic for his combative flair.
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A political legacy at stake
Whatever the verdict, Sarkozy’s legacy hangs in the balance. His critics argue his career has been permanently overshadowed by courtrooms and corruption claims.
His supporters see a relentless witch-hunt designed to sideline one of the right’s most formidable figures.
Thursday’s decision will not be the final act, however, with multiple appeals already pending – even a case involving his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy over alleged witness tampering – Sarkozy’s battles with the French justice system look set to continue.
