Sarkozy arrives at Paris court as verdict looms in Libyan-financing case

FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY ARRIVED AT A PARIS COURT ON THURSDAY WITH HIS WIFE, CARLA BRUNI-SARKOZY, AS A VERDICT LOOMS IN A LONG-RUNNING CASE OVER ALLEGED ILLEGAL FINANCING OF HIS 2007 CAMPAIGN BY THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT OF MOAMMAR GADHAFI. PROSECUTORS ARE SEEKING A SEVEN-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE, AND SARKOZY, NOW 70, HAS DENIED ALL WRONGDOING.

THE TRIAL, WHICH INVOLVED 11 CO-DEFENDANTS INCLUDING THREE FORMER MINISTERS, TOOK PLACE OVER ABOUT THREE MONTHS OF TESTIMONY EARLIER THIS YEAR. SARKOZY AND BRUNI-SARKOZY SAT IN THE FRONT ROW AS REPORTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FILLED THE COURTROOM, AND HIS THREE ADULT SONS WERE IN THE ROOM. IF CONVICTED, HE WOULD BE THE FIRST FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT TO BE FOUND GUILTY OF ACCEPTING ILLEGAL FOREIGN FUNDS TO WIN OFFICE.

THE ACCUSATIONS TRACE BACK TO 2011, WHEN A LIBYAN NEWS AGENCY AND MOAMMAR GADHAFI HIMSELF SAID THAT THE LIBYAN STATE SECRETLY FUNNELED MILLIONS OF EUROS INTO SARKOZY'S 2007 CAMPAIGN. IN 2012, THE FRENCH INVESTIGATIVE OUTLET MEDIAPART PUBLISHED WHAT IT SAID WAS A LIBYAN INTELLIGENCE MEMO REFERENCE A 50 MILLION-EURO FUNDING AGREEMENT. SARKOZY DENOUNCED THE DOCUMENT AS A FORGERY AND SUED FOR DEFAMATION. FRENCH MAGISTRATES LATER SAID THE MEMO APPEARED AUTHENTIC, THOUGH NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE OF A COMPLETED TRANSACTION WAS PRESENTED AT THE TRIAL. INVESTIGATORS ALSO EXAMINED A SERIES OF TRIPS TO LIBYA BY PEOPLE CLOSE TO SARKOZY DURING HIS TIME AS INTERIOR MINISTER (2005-2007), INCLUDING HIS CHIEF OF STAFF. IN 2016, FRANCO-LIBANESE BUSINESSMAN ZIAD TAKIEDDINE TOLD MEDIAPART THAT HE HAD DELIVERED SUITCASES FILLED WITH CASH FROM TRIPOLI TO THE FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTRY, A CLAIM THAT HE LATER REVERSED. THAT REVERSAL BECAME THE FOCUS OF A SEPARATE INVESTIGATION INTO POTENTIAL WITNESS-TAMPERING.

TAKIEDDINE, WHO WAS ONE OF THE CO-DEFENDANTS, DIED TUESDAY IN BEIRUT, ACCORDING TO HIS LAWYER, ELISA ARFI. HE WAS 75 AND HAD FLED TO LEBANON IN 2020, Failing TO ATTEND THE TRIAL. SARKOZY AND BRUNI-SARKOZY WERE AMONG THOSE CHARGED IN RELATION TO ALLEGED EFFORTS TO PRESSURE TAKIEDDINE, THOUGH THAT CASE HAD NOT GONE TO TRIAL.

DURING THE PROCEEDINGS, SARKOZY DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS AND DESCRIBED THE MATTER AS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED. HE TOLD THE COURT THAT THE CHARGES WERE PART OF A PLOT CARRIED OUT BY 'LIARS AND CROOKS' INCLUDING THE SO-CALLED GADDAFI CLAN, SUGGESTING THE CAMPAIGN-FINANCING ACCUSATIONS WERE RETALIATION FOR HIS DECISIVE CALL AS PRESIDENT FOR GADHAFI'S REMOVAL IN 2011. WHAT CREDIBILITY CAN BE GIVEN TO STATEMENTS MARKED BY THE SEAL OF VENGEANCE, HE ASKED.

THE LIBYAN DIMENSION OF THE CASE SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON FRANCE'S BACK-CHANNEL DIPLOMACY WITH LIBYA IN THE 2000S, A PERIOD DURING WHICH GADHAFI SOUGHT TO REBUILD TROUBLED TATES WITH THE WEST. SARKOZY WAS ONE OF THE EARLY WESTERN LEADERS TO PUSH FOR MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA IN 2011 AS ARAB SPRING PRO-D EmOCRACY MOVEMENTS SURGED ACROSS THE REGION.

BEYOND THE LIBYAN FUNDING ISSUE, SARKOZY HAS FACED OTHER LEGAL TROUBLES OVER THE YEARS. HE WAS CONVICTED IN A SEPARATE CASE OF CORRUPTION AND INFLUENCE PEDDLING FOR ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A MAGISTRATE IN 2014, A SENTENCE THAT INCLUDED ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND A PERIOD OF INELIGIBILITY. HE WAS GRANTED CONDITIONAL RELEASE IN MAY DUE TO AGE, ALLOWING HIM TO REMOVE THE ELECTRONIC TAG AFTER JUST OVER THREE MONTHS. IN A DIFFERENT MATTER, HE WAS CONVICTED LAST YEAR OF ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN FINANCING IN HIS FAILED 2012 RE-ELECTION BID, AND WAS SENTENCED TO A YEAR IN PRISON, WITH SIX MONTHS SUSPENDED. HE HAS APPEALED THAT VERDICT TO FRANCE'S HIGHEST COURT, THE COURT OF CASSATION. IN JUNE, HE WAS STRIPPED OF THE LEGION OF HONOUR MEDAL FOLLOWING THE CONVICTION IN THE SEPARATE CASE.

AS THE VERDICT APPROACHES, ALL PARTIES REMAIN WATCHFUL FOR HOW THE COURT WILL WEIGH THE EVIDENCE AND HOW A POSSIBLE GUILTY VERDICT MIGHT SHAPE THE POLITICAL LEGACY OF ONE OF FRANCE'S MOST POLARIZING FIGURES. IF CONVICTED, SARKOZY COULD APPEAL, WHICH WOULD LIKELY SUSPEND THE SENTENCE PENDING THE OUTCOME OF THE APPEAL, A PROCESS THAT CAN TAKE YEARS. THE COURT MUST ALSO CONSIDER THE SPECIFIC CHARGES AT HAND — PASSIVE CORRUPTION, ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN FINANCING, CONCEALMENT OF THE MISAPPROPRIATION OF PUBLIC FUNDS AND CRIMINAL ASSOCIATION — AND HOW THE EVIDENCE OF FOREIGN FUNDING AND ANY POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTIONS MEET THE LEGAL STANDARDS FOR THESE OFFENSES.

THE CASE LOGISTICS HAVE DRAWN ATTENTION TO FRANCE'S RESPONSIVENESS TO ALLEGATIONS OF FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN ELECTIONS, A DISCUSSION THAT REMAINS POLARIZING IN FRENCH POLITICS. SUPPORTERS OF SARKOZY SAY THE PROCEEDINGS ARE LINGUISTICALLY POLITICAL AND A TEST OF THE FRENCH JUDICIAL SYSTEM'S ABILITY TO HANDLE COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL FUNDING MATTERS. CRITICS ARGUe THAT THE CASE EXPOSES A PATTERN OF ETHICAL MISGOVERNANCE THAT HAS SURROUNDED FORMER PRESIDENTS IN RECENT YEARS. AS THE VERDICT DATE LOOMS, THE NATION WILL BE WATCHING HOW THE COURT BALANCES A HIGH-PROFILE POLITICAL LEGACY WITH A LEGAL STANDARD THAT PRIMARILY TIES TO THE EVIDENCE OF ILLEGAL FUNDING, WITNESS ACCURACY, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FORGED OR MISLEADING DOCUMENTS IN A CASE THAT HAS ALREADY SHADOWED FRENCH POLITICS FOR YEARS.