France's Sarkozy slams Libyan campaign financing case as 'a conspiracy'

10/1/2025 6:29

A defiant Nicolas Sarkozy told a Paris court on Thursday that allegations of illegal Libyan financing of his successful 2007 presidential bid were a "conspiracy" and that not a single cent of Libyan cash would ever be found in his campaign.



Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, is accused by prosecutors of having made a pact with Libya's late strongman Muammar Gaddafi to receive millions of euros in clandestine funding.



He faces charges including concealing the embezzlement of public funds, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy and risks up to 10 years in jail if found guilty.



"You will never, never find a Libyan euro, not even a Libyan cent in my campaign," Sarkozy told judges in his opening statement to the court.



The trial follows more than a decade of investigations.