Legal pressure is mounting on former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the case concerning alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, as the Libyan authorities have demanded that Sarkozy and five other defendants pay massive financial compensation totaling €10 million.
Lawyers representing the Libyan state submitted these demands before the Paris Court of Appeal, dividing the amount into €5 million in compensation for material damages and another €5 million for moral damages.
The defense argued that the case involves the “embezzlement of public funds” belonging to the Libyan people during the era of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
These legal proceedings are based on events dating back to 2006, when French prosecutors suspected that secret financial transfers were carried out through French-Lebanese intermediary Ziad Takieddine to support Sarkozy’s presidential ambitions.
In this context, Libyan lawyer Issam Al-Tajouri said in media statements that the demand is not new, but rather a reaffirmation of previous civil claims filed by the Libyan state as the directly harmed party.
Al-Tajouri explained that the legal basis for these claims relies on explicit provisions in the French Criminal Procedure Code and Penal Code related to concealing funds obtained through criminal acts, influence peddling, and international corruption.
Despite a previous lower court ruling sentencing Sarkozy to five years in prison on charges of “criminal conspiracy” in the same case, the former president continues to deny all accusations against him.
As the Court of Appeal continues its deliberations, the case; which has stretched on for more than a decade, remains one of the most complex files in the history of Libyan-French relations, reflecting Libya’s efforts to recover its financial and legal rights linked to the Gaddafi era.
(Libya Observer)
