Does France have enough evidence to prosecute former President Sarkozy?
On the evening of March 21, French authorities decided to officially investigate former President Nicolas Sarkozy after two days of questioning him on allegations of illegally receiving 50 million Euros in election funding from the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.
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| The French government under President Sarkozy signed several major trade deals with the Gaddafi regime in 2007. Photo: EPA |
A "formal investigation" in France means that judges have found enough evidence of a suspect's guilt to move forward with further investigation and possibly trial.
By pageFrance 24In the case of former right-wing President Sarkozy, French authorities appear to have evidence of illegal campaign financing in 2007, "passive" corruption and misuse of Libyan public funds.
Sarkozy was released on March 21 after a second day of questioning by investigators specialising in corruption, money laundering and tax evasion in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. He was first detained by police on March 20, but was released on bail at midnight and returned to Nanterre early on March 21 to answer questions about allegations that Gaddafi's government secretly funded his 2007 presidential campaign with 50 million euros.
Saif al-Islam, one of the sons of ousted Libyan leader Gaddafi, was the first to make the allegations. Saif al-Islam said he and several others, including Abdallah Snoussi, former head of Libya's intelligence service, and Bashir Saleh Bashir, former CEO of Libya Investment, were ready to testify against Mr Sarkozy.
French authorities began investigating allegations against Mr. Sarkozy in 2013. But the case only attracted widespread public attention in November 2016 when the French businessman of Lebanese origin announced that he had personally delivered three suitcases filled with Libyan money to Claude Gueánt, Mr. Sarkozy’s former chief of staff and presidential campaign director, in late 2006 and early 2007.
In January 2018, British police arrested French businessman Alexandre Djouhri at Heathrow Airport as part of an investigation. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed that Djouhri's arrest was made under a "European arrest warrant" for fraud and money laundering.
Former President Sarkozy continues to deny the charges against him.
