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50m ago

Sarkozy Awaits Libya-Funding Verdict as Key Accuser Dies in Beirut

Prosecutors say a 2005 pact with Gaddafi’s regime funneled cash into his 2007 campaign.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy walks, as he attends his trial with twelve other defendants on charges of corruption and illegal financing of an election campaign related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful 2007 presidential bid, at the courthouse in Paris, France, March 27, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/ File Photo
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy for the verdict in his trial with other defendants on charges of corruption and illegal financing of an election campaign related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful 2007 presidential bid, at the courthouse in Paris, France, September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
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Overview

  • Paris judges are set to deliver their ruling on Thursday, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison term that would be suspended pending appeal if he is convicted.
  • Ziad Takieddine, 75, died Tuesday in Beirut, his lawyer said, and a family source in Lebanon said he had been in prison and suffered cardiac arrest.
  • Takieddine had alleged he ferried up to €5 million in cash from Tripoli to Sarkozy’s team in 2006–2007 before retracting his claims in 2020.
  • The prosecution’s case cites statements from former Libyan officials, trips to Libya by Sarkozy aides, financial transfers, and notebooks kept by ex-oil minister Shukri Ghanem.
  • Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing and also faces a separate witness-tampering probe that has led to preliminary charges against him and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.