Lebanon has detained a Lebanese-French businessman who was close to former French president Nicolas Sarkozy after receiving a request for his arrest from Interpol, a judicial source told AFP Friday, reports FRANCE 24.
"Internal security forces have detained (Ziad) Takieddine, based on an arrest warrant Interpol sent the public prosecution, over him being wanted by the French authorities over involvement in corruption and funding Sarkozy's campaign," the source said.
Takieddine was once the main accuser in an inquiry into suspected Libyan financing of Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign.
The businessman was investigated in late 2016 after he told the press he had delivered millions of euros in cash from Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.
Sarkozy caught a break last month when Takieddine suddenly retracted his claim.
The 70-year-old businessman fled to Beirut after a French court in June condemned him to five years in jail in a separate case involving millions of euros in kickbacks from arms sales to Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed in 1994.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.
Read Mediapart's background to the case here.