A Paris court today began trying former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and twelve other people for alleged irregular financing of the 2007 election campaign with money from the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy, who turns 70 at the end of the month, did not want to make any statement to the press before the start of the hearing, which he attended in a dark suit and black tie.
In the brief interrogation to which the president of the court, Nathalie Gavarino, subjected all the accused present, the former head of the French State (2007-2012) recalled that his current profession is a lawyer.
Before the hearing began, Sarkozy spoke in the courtroom with several lawyers and the other three of the main defendants, former ministers Claude Guéant, Brice Hortefeux and Éric Woerth, as well as his brother Guillaume.
In this process, which will last until April 10, the former French president is accused of crimes that could result, if convicted, in a sentence of up to 10 years in prison and fines of around 375 thousand euros.
Today's first hearing is dedicated to appeals trying to annul the process.
Former president Sarkozy has already been convicted in two other cases. In one of these cases, which has already had a definitive decision from the STF, he was sentenced to one year in prison for corruption and influence peddling, which he could serve under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor.
Furthermore, the former conservative head of state was sentenced in the first instance for the irregular financing of his failed 2012 presidential election campaign [he lost to the socialist François Hollande], to a sentence of one year in prison. The appeal has already been judged and the decision will be announced later this year.
