TRT English – Libyan financing: Sarkozy’s defense counterattacks

Nicolas Sarkozy’s defense played its part today in the face of justice.

“Grotesque novel”, “hollow and artificial construction”, file “devoid of evidence”: Nicolas Sarkozy’s defense has, as expected, demanded the release of the former French head of state on Wednesday, at the close of the trial on appeal of Libyan financing alleged from his 2007 presidential campaign.

“We have been searching for thirteen years”, “searching”, “searching in France, Switzerland, Libya, Lebanon”, “taking people into custody”, “trying to give substance to the crazy accusations of Libyan financing of the 2007 campaign”, and “trying to implicate Nicolas Sarkozy in this grotesque novel”, took offense Mr Christophe Ingrain, one of the lawyers of the former president who appealed against his sentence to five years in prison at first instance for criminal conspiracy.

Designating him as the “instigator” of a corruption pact with Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, at the “highest level of seriousness that the Republic can know”, the prosecution demanded seven years in prison against the 71-year-old former head of state, for criminal conspiracy, corruption and illegal financing of his campaign victorious with embezzled Libyan public money.

This is the heaviest sentence requested against the 10 defendants, who have all requested release and will be decided on their fate on November 30.

However, argues Me Ingrain, there was no participation in a criminal association, due to lack of action by his client who would not have, for example, been informed of the secret meetings of his relatives, Brice Hortefeux and Claude Guéant, at the end of 2005 with the number two of the Libyan regime Abdallah Senoussi, where the pact would have been formed according to the accusation.

Nicolas Sarkozy has also “neither authorized nor been informed of transfers of Libyan funds to the accounts” of the intermediary Ziad Takieddine, he insists.

Certainly, there was his own visit, before and after those of his collaborators, on October 6, 2005. It would have been nothing more than a simple “official trip by the Minister of the Interior which was part of the rapprochement between France and Libya”, according to Me Ingrain who questions the court: “Did you understand when the so-called corruptive pact was been sealed? Not me.”

Furthermore, no “suspicious expenditure” has been brought to light in the campaign accounts, he continues, insisting: Nicolas Sarkozy “did not solicit or cause to be solicited” any Libyan funds. Besides, why would he have done it since he was assured of being the candidate of the right-wing UMP party for the presidential election and therefore of benefiting from its financial strength, argues the lawyer.