According to AFP, Sarkozy has denied claims that he sought financial support from Libya in exchange for help in improving Tripoli’s international image after the deadly bombings.
In September 2025, a court of first instance found Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, guilty of trying to obtain funds from Libya for his election campaign and sentenced him to five years in prison.
This made him the first president in modern French history to serve a prison sentence. He spent 20 days in custody before being released pending the appeal process.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Sarkozy’s associates, acting on his behalf, struck a deal with Gaddafi, promising in return to help restore the Libyan leader’s international reputation after Tripoli was blamed for two air strikes.
Western countries hold Libya responsible for the downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988, which killed 259 people, and the 1989 attack on UTA Flight 772 over Niger, which killed 170 people.
Family members of the victims spoke about their experiences during the appeals process last week.
– Only with the truth can one respond to such unspeakable suffering – said Sarkozy during the testimony, which was also attended by his wife, model and singer Carla Bruni. “But suffering cannot be corrected by injustice: I am innocent,” he added.
The first-instance court found Sarkozy guilty of conspiring to commit a criminal offense in connection with the plan to obtain Libyan funds, but not of receiving or using them in the campaign.
The appeal procedure will last until June 3, and the verdict is expected in the fall. If found guilty, Sarkozy faces up to 10 years in prison.
Since leaving office, Sarkozy has faced a series of legal proceedings and already has two final verdicts in other cases.
(Vijesti.ba / Fena)
