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Ex-President Sarkozy to Face Trial Over Charges of Campaign Financing by Libya Ex-President Sarkozy to Face Trial Over Charges of Campaign Financing by Libya
(32 minutes later)
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy of France was ordered on Friday to stand trial on corruption charges over allegations that his 2007 campaign received illegal funding from the Libyan government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, in one of the most serious of the legal entanglements dogging the French politician since he left office.Former President Nicolas Sarkozy of France was ordered on Friday to stand trial on corruption charges over allegations that his 2007 campaign received illegal funding from the Libyan government of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, in one of the most serious of the legal entanglements dogging the French politician since he left office.
After a decade-long investigation, magistrates in Paris ordered Mr. Sarkozy to be tried on charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, criminal conspiracy and concealing the misappropriation of public funds, according to Jean-François Bohnert, France’s top financial prosecutor. If convicted, Mr. Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in prison.After a decade-long investigation, magistrates in Paris ordered Mr. Sarkozy to be tried on charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, criminal conspiracy and concealing the misappropriation of public funds, according to Jean-François Bohnert, France’s top financial prosecutor. If convicted, Mr. Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in prison.
A three-month trial is scheduled for early 2025, Mr. Bohnert said in a statement, although that date could be delayed by appeals from Mr. Sarkozy, who has strenuously denied the accusations, or by other defendants in the case.A three-month trial is scheduled for early 2025, Mr. Bohnert said in a statement, although that date could be delayed by appeals from Mr. Sarkozy, who has strenuously denied the accusations, or by other defendants in the case.
Mr. Sarkozy, 68, a conservative politician who was president from 2007 to 2012, remains an influential figure in French politics. But he has faced an array of legal troubles, and the allegations that his campaign illegally accepted money from Colonel Qaddafi, the former Libyan strongman assassinated in 2011, have been the most explosive.Mr. Sarkozy, 68, a conservative politician who was president from 2007 to 2012, remains an influential figure in French politics. But he has faced an array of legal troubles, and the allegations that his campaign illegally accepted money from Colonel Qaddafi, the former Libyan strongman assassinated in 2011, have been the most explosive.
The complex case was opened in 2013, after a 2012 report by the investigative news website Mediapart suggested that Mr. Sarkozy’s campaign had received significant funding from the Qaddafi government, violating rules against foreign election funding. There have been conflicting accounts of the amount of money said to have changed hands.
Mr. Sarkozy did not immediately react on Friday to the order to stand trial. Instead, he shared a video on his Facebook page that showed fans greeting him for a recent signing of a new volume of his memoirs.