PARIS: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is once again in legal hot water as he was charged on Friday as part of an investigation into possible witness tampering, further adding to his extensive list of legal troubles. This latest charge comes in addition to ongoing concerns regarding illegal campaign financing.
After undergoing an exhaustive 30-hour questioning process spanning nearly four days, investigating magistrates concluded that there were substantial grounds to charge Sarkozy with benefiting from witness tampering and conspiring to pervert the course of justice, according to a judiciary source speaking to news agency.
The case against Sarkozy, who remains an influential figure in French conservative politics, revolves around allegations that he received funds from the late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to finance one of his election campaigns. This particular case is slated for trial in 2025.
A pivotal witness in this case, Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, initially claimed to have delivered three suitcases filled with a total of five million euros (equivalent to $5.3 million at current rates) in cash during 2006 and 2007. However, Takieddine’s sudden retraction of his incriminating statement in 2020 has raised suspicions that Sarkozy may have exerted pressure on the witness to change his testimony.
The 68-year-old former president has already faced two convictions, one for corruption and another for influence peddling, in separate cases involving attempts to manipulate a judge and campaign financing.
Sarkozy, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, has appealed against both convictions. In response to his latest legal challenge, his lawyers issued a statement to AFP on Friday, affirming that their client would “defend his honor” in this case as well.
Additionally, at least nine other individuals are under suspicion of participating in the alleged conspiracy, which investigators suggest may have included payments to Takieddine. Some of the suspects are also suspected of attempting to bribe a Lebanese judge to secure the release of Kadhafi’s son, who was held in Lebanon, with the aim of enlisting the Libyan leader’s support to help Sarkozy convince the French judiciary of his innocence.
In a transcript of Sarkozy’s statements during questioning, obtained by news agency, the former president asserted, ‘There is no material evidence or any wiretap to incriminate me in this craziness.’
If this case proceeds to trial, it will mark the third impending court date for Sarkozy. In addition to the 2025 Libyan financing trial related to his 2007 election campaign, Sarkozy is scheduled to stand trial next month for alleged violations of campaign financing rules in his 2012 bid for re-election, in which he lost to Socialist Francois Hollande.
