EDIT: Libyan trial in appeal: what defense for Nicolas Sarkozy, spectacularly abandoned by one of his closest loyalists?

The verdict on Wednesday, April 29, was decisive for Nicolas Sarkozy in the appeal trial of the alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign. The former President will have to answer to accusations from his closest collaborator. The “Cardinal” is fighting back. Claude Guéant spills the beans. The Libyan case is turning into a major revelation. Excused from attending the trial for health reasons, Claude Guéant sent a damning three-page letter to the court on Sunday, which will be read at the hearing on Wednesday.

**Libyan trial on appeal: “Nicolas Sarkozy is wrong,” writes Claude Guéant in a new affidavit sent to the court of appeal.

A full disclosure. The former prefect is categorical: Nicolas Sarkozy did indeed summon him to his table during a dinner given on July 25, 2007, in Tripoli to hear Colonel Gaddafi address the international arrest warrant against his brother-in-law, Abdallah Senussi, the head of military intelligence, sentenced in absentia to life in prison for the UTA DC-10 attack that killed 170 people, including 54 French nationals. Sarkozy’s order was: “Claude, look into this.”

Guéant also claims that he did inform the former head of state about his discreet meeting with Senussi, not immediately, but on occasions that “made it unavoidable to mention.” He had already made these accusations in a first letter on April 11 and despite Nicolas Sarkozy’s denial, Guéant punctuates his letter with numerous details and precise descriptions to make it more credible.

**Love-hate relationship.

Why? Out of vengeance, which is not served cold but hot. Nicolas Sarkozy was imprudent in disowning his former colleague. In court, he was surprised by his lifestyle, gifts received from questionable acquaintances, and accused him indirectly of personal enrichment, stating that he had “crossed the line.” A devoted civil servant to his “great man,” Guéant, who has already been sentenced to six years in prison in the first instance, could not bear to see his former boss further tarnish his reputation. The closeness between the two men for over a decade underscores the impact of such a testimony. Indeed, great pains are not always silent.

**Nicolas Sarkozy, Brice Hortefeux, Claude Guéant… Discover all the convictions in the Libyan financing case of the 2007 campaign.

**How can Nicolas Sarkozy defend himself? By denying everything without a doubt. Because this testimony contradicts his defense. The former head of state claims he knew nothing about the initiatives of his two closest allies, Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant. While Guéant denies any Libyan financing, the accusation claims that if Sarkozy asked him to intervene on behalf of Senussi, it was precisely to obtain funds for his campaign. In the first instance, the former President was sentenced to five years in prison for criminal association. When one of the accomplices starts to talk, there is little chance that the judges will be more lenient in the appeal.