Gaddafi-Sarkozy funding trial ends with defence speech claiming 'empty' prosecution case
The trial of Nicolas Sarkozy and 11 others on corruption charges relating to the alleged funding of the former French president’s 2007 election campaign by the regime of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi ended this week with the speeches of Sarkozy’s defence team. The four lawyers spoke for five hours calling for the charges against him to be thrown out and denouncing an “empty” case brought by prosecutors, who have requested Sarkozy be handed a seven-year prison sentence. Given the final word on Tuesday before the judges announce their verdicts in September, Sarkozy dismissed what he said was a “political and violent” prosecution case. Fabrice Arfi was in court on the day the curtain went down on an extraordinary trial.
AA trial is always a battle of narratives, a war of words. In the case of Nicolas Sarkozy, standing trial since January 6th on charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy, receipt of the proceeds of the misappropriation of public funds, and illegal campaign financing, all related to the alleged funding of his 2007 presidential election campaign by the regime of Libyan dictator Mummar Gaddafi, it took four of his defence lawyers five hours to offer an opposing narrative to that which the prosecution presented ten days ago.
