Nicolas Sarkozy, sentenced in first instance to five years' firm prison for criminal association in the Libyan financing case, relies on his former chief of staff Claude Guéant in the appeal. Absent for medical reasons, Guéant may take responsibility for 2005 meetings in Tripoli with Abdallah Senoussi. The trial's outcome largely depends on these exchanges also involving Brice Hortefeux.
Nicolas Sarkozy, former president and state minister in 2005, faces Paris appeal court in the alleged Libyan financing of his campaign case. Sentenced to five years firm in first instance for criminal association, he adjusted his defense after this charge trapped him.
The stakes center on meetings in Tripoli in September and December 2005. Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux met Abdallah Senoussi, Muammar Gaddafi's brother-in-law, head of Libyan secret services, and sentenced to life in Paris for the 1989 UTA DC 10 bombing that killed 170 people including 54 French.
Guéant, absent from trial for medical reasons, is central to Sarkozy's strategy. The ex-president reportedly tasked him with bearing responsibility for a possible scam involving Ziad Takieddine. Trial reports note Sarkozy distancing himself from Guéant and Hortefeux, mentioning 'faults' by his collaborators.
Other elements, like the 'Koussa note', resurface in debate, but Hortefeux says he reported nothing to Sarkozy.