Interrogated about the recent letters from his former right-hand man, Claude Guéant, which directly implicate him in a request for judicial favor towards a Libyan dignitary, the former president attempted to discredit these “memories” without accusing his lieutenant of lying. Between annoyance and irony, Nicolas Sarkozy firmly denies any pact of corruption, despite the conflicting versions now emerging within his inner circle.
Nicolas Sarkozy was back in court on Wednesday, April 29 before the Paris Court of Appeal, where he is being tried for the presumed Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign. The former president was questioned about two letters written in the past 10 days by his former right-hand man Claude Guéant, in which the latter provided a completely different version of events. Nicolas Sarkozy tried to defend himself without further offending his ex-lieutenant.
“His memory could have evolved!”
Like a tightrope walker, Nicolas Sarkozy stands his ground: “I’m not saying Claude Guéant is lying… but his memory could have evolved! And we don’t share the same memories,” quipped the former head of state.
However, his former right-hand man is categorical: Nicolas Sarkozy explicitly asked him to examine the judicial situation of Abdallah Senoussi, then number 2 of the Libyan regime and subject to an international arrest warrant for terrorism.
A central point of the case as it would be one of the counterpoints of the presumed corruption pact established with Libya. “It’s like banging your head against the walls. There was never any question of pardoning Senoussi,” Sarkozy finally annoyed, once again distancing himself from his former lieutenant during this trial.
