Paris: On Thursday, French prosecutors demanded that former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who has faced legal issues ever since leaving office, stand trial again for allegedly having Libyans finance his 2007 election campaign.
Sarkozy and 12 other people are to go on trial, according to France's financial crimes prosecutors (PNF), over allegations that they sought millions of euros in funding from Muammar Qaddafi's regime for his ultimately successful campaign.
According to a statement from the prosecutors, Sarkozy is charged with corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealing the theft of public funds.
He has consistently denied the accusations.
Investigating magistrates have the final say in a case that has been open since 2013, so the prosecutors' request for a trial does not determine whether the process will proceed.
Heavy hitters like Sarkozy's former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his former head of campaign financing Eric Woerth, and former minister Brice Hortefeux are among those who will be tried in the case.
Since leaving office, right-wing Sarkozy, who won the 2007 elections but lost to socialist Francois Hollande in 2012, has been found guilty twice in separate cases.
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On May 17, the former president will hear the court of appeals' ruling in a wiretapping case in which he was initially sentenced to three years in prison, two of which would be suspended for corruption and influence peddling.
In the so-called Bygmalion case, in which he was originally found guilty and given a one-year prison sentence, he will also be tried again starting in November 2023.
He is not anticipated to spend any time behind bars for those crimes, even if the sentences are upheld. He has consistently denied all accusations.
The man who referred to himself as the "hyper-president" while in office still enjoys a great deal of popularity and influence on the right of French politics, despite the legal issues.
