France's Sarkozy says 'innocent' at trial over Libya fundingFormer France's President Nicolas Sarkozy served 20 days in prison last year after a lower court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy at an appeals trial Tuesday said he was "innocent", rejecting charges he had sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election in exchange for helping improve Tripoli's image after deadly bombings. The case saw Sarkozy, who has always denied any wrongdoing, become modern France's first president to have gone to jail. The lower court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy over what it said was a scheme to acquire Libyan funding, but not of receiving or using the funds for the campaign. Sarkozy has faced a series of legal issues since leaving office and has already received two definitive convictions in other cases.

Source: Bangkok Post April 07, 2026 13:45 UTC