Sarkozy is threatened with further lawsuit over alleged illegal money from Libya
– Nicolas sarkozy © © 2021 AFP
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French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has already been convicted, faces another trial for illegal campaign funding.
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French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has already been convicted, faces another trial for illegal campaign funding. The Court of Appeal in Paris on Wednesday rejected an application to close the investigation against Sarkozy. The case concerns the allegation that Sarkozy illegally received money from Libya’s ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi for his first election campaign in 2007.
The conservative politician’s numerous judicial affairs have kept France in suspense for years. He is the first former French President to be sentenced to prison terms for offenses during and after his term in office. In March he was sentenced to three years in prison for bribery and illegally influencing the judiciary; The court suspended two of them.
In September, a court sentenced the former head of state to one year in prison without parole for illegally financing election campaigns. In both cases he appealed. Should these attempts fail, the 66-year-old will probably – for the time being – still not have to be behind bars, but should be monitored under house arrest and by electronic ankle cuffs.
In the Libya affair, investigators accuse him and his accomplices of having received tens of millions of euros from Gaddafi’s government to finance his election campaign. As president, Sarkozy was initially one of Gaddafi’s closest allies. From 2011, however, he campaigned for the overthrow of the Libyan ruler. Sarkozy denies the allegations.
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