A new accusation targets former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. This week, French justice officials charged the former conservative leader with crimes including bribery of a witness and participation in a criminal organization involved in organized fraud. The charges stem from a revamped statement by Ziad Takieddine, a France-Lebanon intermediary with ties to arms trafficking who is said to have played a central role in the case. The allegations revolve around alleged financial support for Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign linked to the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
During the Libya-related inquiry, Takieddine reportedly told investigators that he delivered a sum of five million euros from the Libyan dictatorship to Sarkozy and his inner circle to finance the 2007 campaign that won Sarkozy the Élysée presidency. Sarkozy and several associates face trial in 2025 over this matter, which stands as a major focal point among multiple investigations surrounding the former leader. In May, Sarkozy became the first former French president to receive a definitive prison sentence in the Fifth Republic, a development that intensified scrutiny of the Libya case.
A controversial retreat
Seven years after the initial statements, Takieddine revised his account. In November 2020, he claimed Sarkozy did not receive Libyan financing, asserting that Gaddafi could not have provided such funds. In a separate interview with Paris Match and BFMTV, he leveled allegations that a judge manipulated statements during the Libya financing inquiry. A digital newsroom later reported that 2021 brought another set of disclosures suggesting Takieddine’s withdrawal was motivated by financial promises made by intermediaries linked to Sarkozy’s networks.
Following these revelations, prosecutors opened a preliminary inquiry focused on the possibility of a conspiracy to bribe witnesses and thereby shield Sarkozy from allegations related to Libyan financing. Nine additional charges were added concerning changes in wording and procedure. One prominent figure named is Mimi Marchand, a public relations figure known as a prominent media magnate in France, who has longstanding ties to Sarkozy’s circle as well as to Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron.
Allegations of a conspiracy to “save Sarko”
The investigation alleges that several Sarkozy associates directed efforts to protect him, using a phrase associated with the plan that one participant reportedly described as a coordinated effort to “save Sarko.” Estimates in the inquiry put the total around 608,000 euros in certain media-related activities. Takieddine, once a well-connected businessman, was reportedly offered between four and five million euros and the purchase of a residence in Paris to secure his withdrawal. Investigators note that he ultimately received about 56,000 euros. The conspiracy is described as possibly unsuccessful in securing the release of one of Gaddafi’s sons who was detained in Lebanon, with a broader aim of benefiting Sarkozy.
The former president, already found guilty in two corruption cases, faces continued scrutiny: besides the Libya matter, a separate review examines his role in awarding sponsorships related to recent global events. Although he left active politics at the end of 2016, Sarkozy remains a influential figure within conservative circles and continues to engage with senior figures in government and business.