Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has renewed claims that former French president Nicolas Sarkozy received $5 million in illicit campaign funds from the Gaddafi regime during Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign. In an interview with France 24’s sister radio, RFI, Gaddafi said he personally oversaw one of the payments and was pressured by Sarkozy’s associates to retract his testimony ahead of Sarkozy’s ongoing trial.
Sarkozy, who is facing charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and criminal association, has strongly denied the allegations. In his defense, Sarkozy told the Paris court, “You will never find one Libyan euro, one Libyan cent in my campaign.”
The claims came shortly before Sarkozy’s trial began in January, where he faces up to ten years in prison. Saif al-Islam’s comments mark the first time he has spoken publicly about the funding allegations, which have plagued Sarkozy since Gaddafi’s fall in 2011.
Saif al-Islam’s accusations echo those he made in 2018, claiming that $2.5 million was funneled to Sarkozy’s inner circle, including to his former chief of staff, Claude Guéant. Gaddafi described how the money was delivered in suitcases by Bashir Saleh, Gaddafi’s former chief of staff, recounting that one suitcase was so stuffed with cash that Guéant had to stand on it to close it.
Despite these repeated claims, Sarkozy has rejected the accusations, calling them a “plot” concocted by “liars and crooks.” He also pointed to the timing of the allegations, which surfaced shortly after he called for Gaddafi’s removal from power in 2011, as evidence of a vengeful motive.
Saif al-Islam also claimed that Sarkozy personally offered to help clear the name of Gaddafi’s brother-in-law, Abdullah al-Senussi, from an Interpol warrant. Sarkozy’s defense lawyer has dismissed these allegations as “unsubstantiated” and accused Saif al-Islam of opportunistically making claims without providing evidence.
The trial is expected to continue until April 10, with the possibility of a verdict later this year.
