The former French president was arrested and interrogated for the alleged financing of the Libyan government during his presidential campaign in 2007

Leer en español: Francia: Gadafi un fantasma que persigue a Sarkozy

Despite having classified it as a "conspiracy" against him, several accusations against former President Nicolas Sarkozy seem to have paid off as he was arrested for having received alleged support in financing his political campaign in 2007 by the executive branch of Libya.

Apparently, the money would come from the presidential cabinet of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who offered to participate actively in the victorious campaign of former President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, according to police investigations.

This event is exceptional, since a former president of the nation is being treated as a criminal, taking IGNORE INTO account the delicate situation he is going through due to irregularities in his presidential campaign.

Testimonies and documents, collected during the investigation, suggest that Sarkozy would have received at least five million Euros from the Gaddafi regime, although the former French president denies these accusations.

It is noteworthy that Sarkozy's detention condition can be extended for 48 hours and after this, determine whether he is released on parole or with charges. However, all this will be decided during the custody of the exmandatario in the offices of the Anti-Corruption Office of the Judicial Police in Nanterre, in the outskirts of Paris.

It is important to point out that this is not the first time that Sarkozy faces the judicial arena, because in 2014, he was also detained and interrogated for 18 hours, for other cases pending illegal financing or corruption that haunt him since He left office in 2012.

One of the triggers in all this investigation was the publication of the digital newspaper 'Mediapart', where a document was revealed by the former head of the Libyan secret services, Mussa Kussa, where he recounts the delivery of 50 million Euros, for the campaign of the then Minister of the Interior of Jacques Chirac. This transaction was endorsed at that time by Brice Hortefeux, former minister and old friend of Sarkozy.

There is also explained as Franco-Lebanese Ziad Takieddine who between the months of November 2006 and early 2007, transported from Tripoli to Paris, the money in three suitcases that he handed to Sarkozy and his cabinet director, Claude Guéant, who was imputed for the case of falsehood and money laundering, to ensure that he received a transfer for 500 thousand euros, product of the sale of some flamenco paintings.

Also another aspect that plays against in this moment of the former president, were the tests granted by the French body in charge of the fight against corruption, where they assured that during the campaign of 2007 it was usual the circulation of envelopes with money within the headquarters of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Although the treasurer of that campaign and later minister of Budgets, Eric Woerth, denies these accusations, explaining that they were private donations.

The truth is that after concluding the investigations that will be carried out the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who also brings in his bankruptcy problems with a system of false invoices to defray the campaign expenses of 2012, which was baptized as 'Bygmalion' and, his connections with the case 'Paul Bismuth', the false identity that allowed him to learn through telephone interceptions about all the legal proceedings that were against him.

Latin American Post | Julio Abella

Translated from "Francia: Gadafi un fantasma que persigue a Sarkozy"