Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is once again in the news. Last Friday, he was indicted for “concealment of witness tampering” in the investigation into possible fraudulent maneuvers intended to exonerate suspicions of Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. News which caused a lot of noise and which raises many questions.
In this case, Nicolas Sarkozy is suspected of having participated in an operation aimed at obtaining the retraction of the accusations made against him by Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese intermediary with a sulphurous past. This operation was allegedly orchestrated with the aim of discrediting suspicions of Libyan financing of his campaign. Serious accusations which could potentially lead to a new trial for the former French head of state.
The judges in charge of the case believe they have serious and consistent evidence as to the participation of Nicolas Sarkozy in these fraudulent maneuvers. Several other people are also involved in this affair, such as Mimi Marchand, a celebrity press figure, or Noël Dubus, an intermediary already convicted of fraud. Different stages of this operation were highlighted, from Ziad Takieddine’s retraction of the accusations to the attempt to prove that the Libyan documents mentioning financing of 50 million euros were forgeries.
Nicolas Sarkozy, for his part, remains determined to assert his rights, to establish the truth and to defend his honor, according to his lawyers. In the hearings to which he was subjected, he denied any direct or indirect involvement in this affair, even describing the idea that he could have pushed for fraudulent financing as “crazy”.
The scandal over Libyan financing of the 2007 presidential campaign therefore continues to shake the former French president. Recent revelations in this affair highlight the possible fraudulent maneuvers intended to exonerate Nicolas Sarkozy as well as his indictment for “concealment of witness tampering”. The next developments in this affair will be closely scrutinized, because they could determine the future of Nicolas Sarkozy on the French political scene.