Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Found Guilty of Complicity in Illegal Financing Case
The Paris Correctional Court has recognized former French President Nicolas Sarkozy as guilty of complicity in an illegal financing case. He is accused of receiving millions of euros from Muammar Gaddafi to fund his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors claimed that Sarkozy, who has always denied these allegations, had entered into an agreement with Gaddafi in 2005, while he was serving as Minister of the Interior. The agreement allegedly provided for campaign financing in exchange for international support for the Libyan government at the time.
The court acquitted Sarkozy of all other charges, and the verdict has not yet been pronounced.
Since the end of his term, Nicolas Sarkozy has faced several legal battles. Last year, the highest French court confirmed his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to one year of electronic monitoring, a first for a French president. The monitoring device has since been removed.
Also last year, an appeals court confirmed another conviction for illegal campaign financing, this time for his failed 2012 re-election bid.
Despite his legal troubles and the removal, in June, of the Legion of Honor, France's highest distinction, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French political scene.
