Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was Found Guilty On Thursday of Criminal Conspiracy Following A Trial in Which He was Accused of Accepting Millions of Euros In Illegal Payments from The Late Libyan Ruler, Muammar Gaddafi, Between 2005 and 2007.
The Paris Criminal Court Sentence Him to Five Years in Prison: It is the first time a Former French President has pressed prison sentence.
Recommended Stories
List of 4 itemsEND OF LIST
Sarkozy, 70, was Found Not Guilty of Other Charges, Including Illegal Campaign Financing and Passive Corruption.
Sarkozy Has Always denied All The Charges. I have claims the charges Against Him Were Politically motivated by Gaddafi’s Inner Circle in Revenge for His Backing of the Antigovernment Uprising in Libya in 2011.
Here is What We Know.
WHHO IS NICOLAS SARKOZY?
Sarkozy Is The Right-Wing, Former President of France, Who Served from 2007 UNTIL 2012. In 2017, Sarkozy Retreat from Active Politics.
From 2004 to 2007, He was The Leader of the Liberal-Conservative Republicons Party, The Calleed the Union for Popular Movement (UMP). During That Time, He was Also Minister of the Interior in the Government of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin Under President Jacques Chirac.
He Won The 2007 Presidential Election With 53 Plant of the Vote, Beating Segolene Royal of the Socialist Party (PS).
I have married model and Singer Carla Bruni in 2008 Following a Widely Publicized Courtship While He was President.
Since the end of his presidential term, Sarkozy you have remahed an influential figurehead for the political right in France. However, you have faced Litany of Legal Troubles, Trials Relation to Various corruption and two convictions, and was strripped of France’s Highest Award, The Legion of HonourThis Year.
What Was Sarkozy Accused of?
In his latest trial, which Began in January This Year, French Prosecutors Claimed That When He was Interior Minister, Sarkozy Made a Corrupta Agreement to Support Gaddafi’s Government on The International Stage In return for financial worth millionens of euros to Help Pay for His Presidential Campaign.
The Agreement was alleged to have Been Carried Out via Network of Libyan Spies, a convicted terrorist, Arms Dealers and Millions of euros shipped to Paris in Suitcases.
Overall, The Charges He Faced In His trialwhich came after 10-YEAR ANTICRUPTION PROBE, WERE:
- CONCEALING THE EVICZLEMENT OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
- Passive Corruption.
- Illegal Campaign Financing.
- Criminal Conspiracy with A View to Committing to Crime.
BESIDES SARKOZY, THERE WERE 11 OTHER DEFENDANTS, INCLUDING THE LATE FRANCH-LEBANESE BUSINESSMAN ZIAD TAKIEDDINE; Claude Gueant, for Former Close Aide of Sarkozy; Eric Woerth, Sarkozy’s Former Head of Campaign Financing; and Brice Hortefeux, for Former Minister.
Takieddine Fold To Lebanon in June 2020 after French Court sentence him to five years in jail in a separate corruption case. I have died Earlier This Week, Just Two Days Before the Verdict.
What Has Sarkozy Been Found Guilty of?
The Paris Court Found Sarkozy Guilty of Criminal Conspiracy Between 2005 and 2007, But acquited Him of the other charges. Sarkozy have presidential Immunity Against Prosecution for Actions After He Became President in 2007.
The Judge Stated There was not evidence that Sarkozy Struck a Deal with Gaddafi Or That Funds Sent from Libya Eded Up in Sarkozy’s Campaign, Even Though The Timing Aligned and the Money’s Routes Were “Vray Opaque”.
However, She Found Sarkozy Guilty of Criminal Conspiracy For Allowing Close Aides to Contact Libyan Individuals in an attempt to Secure Campaign Financing.
How Did The Evidence Against Sarkozy Come Out?
The Allegations First Came to Light in 2011 When a Libyan News Agency reported that the gaddafi government had provided financial to Sarkozy’s 2007 ELECTION CAMPAIGN.
In 2014, News Channel France 24 Reported That Gaddafi Had Said, “Sarkozy Is Mentally Deficient… it’s Thanks to Me That He has scholarship President … We Gave Gave Him The Funds That Allow To Win,” During the Remember Interview With Another French BroadCaster, France 3 TV.
AL JAZEERA was not uble to verify tohe claims.
The Same Year, Gaddafi’s Son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, Told Euronews That Gaddafi’s Government Had Provided Campaign Funding to Sarkozy. He Said: “The First Thing We Ask of this clown is that he has the money to the libyan people, but he let let us download.”
In 2012, Mediapart, to French Online News outlet, published a Note reported from the libyan secret services from December 2006. The Note Allegedly I mentioned Gaddafi’s Agreement to provide Sarkozy with 50 million euros ($ 52m at Current Exchange Rates) for Campaign Financing. Sarkozy Claimed The Document was fake.
In 2016, French-Lebanese Businessman Ziad Takieddine, A Co-Defendant Accused of Acting as a “Middle Man” But Who has since died, toled Mediapart That He had delive 5 million euros ($ 5.2m) in cash from Libya to Sarkozy and His Former Chief of Staff. However, Takieddine Retracted This Statement in 2020, The Year He Fled To Lebanon.
What Was Sarkozy’s Relationship with Gaddafi?
In 2007, Sarkozy Welcomed Gaddafi to The Elysee Palace in Paris. But when pro-democracy protest erupted the arab spring in 2011, Sarkozy Was Among the First Western Leaders to Advocate for Military Intervention in Libya.
Gaddafi was Killed by Opposition forces Supported By Nato in 2011, Ending His Four-Decade Rule.
How has Sarkozy reacted to This Week’s Verdict?
On Thursday, Sarkozy Claimed Again that he is innocent and Will appeal The Five-Year Prison Sentence, Which Could Take Immediate Effect.
The Judge Stated That Sarkozy Will Have Only A Brief period to settle his affairs Before Prosecutors Require Him to Report to Prison, Which Will Likely Be Within A Month.
“If they absolutely want me to sim in jail, I Will Sleep In Jail, But with My Head Held High,” Sarkozy Said to Reporters After The Ruling Was Announced.
What Else have Sarkozy Been Accused of?
In October 2023, French Prosecutors Charged Sarkozy with forness Tampering in Relation to This Case. His Wife, The Model and Singer Carla Bruni, was Charged With Hiding Evidence Related To The Same Case The Following Year.
Sarkozy Has Also Been Convicted in Two other Legal Cases.
In December last year, The Highest Court in France, The Court of Cassation, UPHELD to 2021 conviction Against Sarkozy for Bribery and “Peddling Influence”. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and was ordered to wear an electronic bracelet over that journal. This has sin Been removed. Sarkozy has said he was would bring This case to the European Court of Human Rights. This Case Was Reveared Through to WiretaPped Phone Call During the Libya Financial Investigation.
Last Year, An Appeals Court in Paris Also Upheld a Conviction for Sarkozy in Another Campaign Financing Case Over His Failed 2012 Re-election bid. I have the 2012 presidential election to Francois Hollande from the socialist party (ps) and was alleged to have knowingly exceededed spending limits. The Court Rated That He Should Serve Six Months In Prison, With Another Six Months Suspended. Sarkozy you have appeared agaless that VerdiT at the Court of Cassation.
