"A lower court in September found Sarkozy guilty of seeking to acquire funding from Moammar Gadhafi's Libya ahead of his successful election bid in 2007. Although the court did not rule that Sarkozy received or used the funds for his campaign, it did convict the former president of criminal conspiracy over the plan. Sarkozy entered jail on October 21, becoming the first former head of a European Union member state to be incarcerated, but his legal team swiftly sought his release."
"The 70-year-old appeared via video call from prison, wearing a dark blue jacket and flanked by lawyers. "It's hard, very hard, certainly for any prisoner. I would even say it's grueling," he told the court, but that prison staff had made "this nightmare... bearable." Prosecutor Damien Brunet asked the court to agree to Sarkozy's request for release. "The risks of collusion and pressure on witnesses justify the request for release under judicial supervision," he said."
"Labeled the "Libyan case" by French media, the accusations have been kicking around since 2011, when a Libyan news outlet published a story about the campaign financing. The allegations gained traction in 2016, when Takieddine said he had personally delivered suitcases full of cash from Libyan officials to the French Interior Ministry. Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted of corruption and influence peddling in unrelated cases."
Nicolas Sarkozy is imprisoned after a September conviction for criminal conspiracy over an alleged plan to obtain funding from Moammar Gadhafi's Libya ahead of the 2007 election. The lower court did not establish that Sarkozy received or used the funds, but found him guilty of conspiracy regarding the scheme. Sarkozy entered jail on October 21 and became the first former head of an EU member state to be incarcerated. An appeal court in Paris is considering his request for release pending an appeals trial, with a decision expected later Monday. Sarkozy appeared by video from prison and described incarceration as a "nightmare" made bearable by staff.
Read at www.dw.com
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