France's Sarkozy charged over alleged Libya campaign funding
March 21, 2018
Preliminary charges have been filed against the former president over irregularities in his 2007 election campaign funding. Sarkozy has been under investigation since 2013 due to allegations he received funds from Libya.
Image: ap
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Sarkozy was charged with corruption late Wednesday as part of a probe into the funding of his 2007 election campaign. He had been in police custody since Tuesday, according to a French judiciary official.
Sarkozy has been under investigation since 2013 over claims that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime secretly gave him €50 million ($61.7 million) for the 2007 campaign.
The sum is more than double the legal campaign funding limit. The payments would also violate French rules against foreign financing.
Tuesday was the first time Sarkozy had been questioned in the inquiry and his questioning takes place weeks after a former associate, Alexandre Djouhri, was arrested in London and later released on bail.
Sarkozy attempted a political comeback in the 2017 presidential electionsImage: picture alliance/dpa/E. Feferberg
Sarkozy denies allegations
Sarkozy, who served as French president from 2007-2012, has denied allegations he received funding from the Libyan regime.
In 2016, following a fresh wave of Libyan funding allegations, his lawyer Thierry Herzog told news agency Reuters that, "Once more, and always before an election, Mediapart is trying to taint Nicolas Sarkozy with allegations [that are] as untrue today as they were yesterday."
In November 2016, ahead of the 2017 presidential election, investigative website Mediapart published a video that depicted French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine saying he had delivered suitcases containing €5 million euros ($6.2 million) in cash to Sarkozy and his former chief of staff in 2007.
Sarkozy and Gadhafi
Sarkozy had a complex relationship with Gadhafi. Not long after he became president, Sarkozy invited the Libyan leader to France for a state visit, but he then put France at the forefront of NATO-led airstrikes against Gadhafi's troops that helped rebel fighters topple his regime in 2011.
Libya's rocky path to democracy
When Libya's former leader Moammar Gadhafi was toppled from power, many were optimistic that big changes were in store for the country. Six years later, the country is still in turmoil.
Image: Reuters/R. Casilli
Ousted after decades
For more than 40 years, Moammar Gadhafi was the eccentric strongman in power in Libya. He was known for his odd behavior - and for his regime's ties to international terror groups. Libya was one of the countries swept up by the Arab Spring, and protests eventually turned into a civil war. Gadhafi fled but was eventually captured and killed In October, 2011.
Image: AP
Chance for peace
After Gadhafi fell, the eyes of the world were on Libya in the hope that the country would have a smooth transition to democracy. By July 2012, democratic parliamentary elections had taken place, but it proved to be a challenge for the country's politicians to form a coalition and compromise on issues that would bring further stability.
Image: AP
Militias gaining strength
Another problem facing Libya in the post-Gadhafi era was the rise of violent militias. While various armed groups did band together to topple the dictator, they did not have a common cause to rally around after his death. Instead, they fought each other. Terrorist groups were also on the rise in Libya, and staged a deadly attack on the US embassy in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.
Image: Reuters
Deeply divided
Political divisions became deeper in the years following Gadhafi's ouster. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) is the internationally-recognized authority in Libya, but several factions on the ground are claiming a hold on power. Jihadist groups including the so-called 'Islamic State' have gained a significant foothold in the country, making any progress precarious.
Image: picture alliance/Xinhua/H. Turkia
Shifting sands
At present, the Tripoli-based GNA controls parts of western and central Libya while Haftar's Libyan National Army holds much of the northeast. However, areas of power are constantly shifting due to ongoing "Islamic State" violence and the country's many different smaller factions.
Looking for help
In recent weeks, Libya has reached out to NATO for assistance in strengthening the country's security institutions in an effort to end the power struggle between competing governments and militias. Leaders of two of the biggest groups - the GNA and the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army LNA - called for an end to the political and economic crises in the country.
