Claude Guéant Faces Scrutiny Over Suspicious Art Sale in Libyan Financing Trial

The former French official defends a 2008 art transaction linked to murky financial circuits and potential Libyan funds.

Claude Guéant, former French Interior Minister, is under trial for a controversial 2008 sale of two Flemish paintings for €500,000.
Prosecutors allege the overvalued art sale was a cover for illicit financial transactions involving Libyan funds and intermediaries like Alexandre Djouhri.
Guéant maintains the sale was legitimate, claiming he purchased the paintings decades earlier and sold them to a Malaysian lawyer for an unnamed client.
Investigators have uncovered inconsistencies, including the paintings' questionable provenance and financial links to Libyan and Saudi actors.
The trial, part of a broader investigation into alleged Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign, continues to examine Guéant's role.