The trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was set to begin on Monday. The former leader is accused of receiving funds from the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for his 2007 presidential campaign.
Charges against Sarkozy include passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, criminal association and embezzlement of public funds. He faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.
Sarkozy, 69, has labeled a document allegedly proving that some funds came from Gadhafi's sanctioned government "fake."
His lawyer put out a statement denying the charges. "We want to believe the court will have the courage to examine the facts objectively, without being guided by the nebulous theory that poisoned the investigation," it read.
Alongside Sarkozy, eleven other defendants are on trial, including three former ministers.
Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who prosecutors say was the broker of the transaction, has fled to Lebanon and will not be present in court.
Case kicking around for over a decade
Labeled the "Libyan case" by French media, the accusations have been kicking around since 2011, when a Libyan news outlet published a story about the campaign financing.
The allegations gained traction in 2016, when Takieddine said he had personally delivered suitcases full of cash from Libyan officials to the French Interior Ministry.
Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted of corruption and influence peddling in unrelated cases.
Source: DW
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque