Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has reignited allegations of illicit campaign financing against former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Speaking to France 24’s sister radio station RFI, Saif al-Islam claimed to have personally overseen the transfer of millions of dollars to Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign and alleged pressure to retract his testimony.
Saif, once touted as the reformist face of the Gaddafi regime, has remained largely out of the public eye since his father’s downfall in 2011. His new revelations mark the first time he has discussed the Sarkozy allegations in detail since providing testimony to French investigators in 2018.
Sarkozy’s trial and allegations
The former French president, who served from 2007 to 2012, is currently on trial over allegations of receiving campaign financing from the Gaddafi regime. Facing charges including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing, Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He has categorically denied the allegations, dismissing them as part of a “plot” by “liars and crooks.”
Saif al-Islam reiterated claims that Sarkozy accepted $5 million from Libya in two payments, one of which he says he personally oversaw. He alleged that Sarkozy’s aides had pressured him to alter his testimony, with promises of legal assistance in exchange for silence.
Pressure on the gaddafi family
Saif al-Islam claims the efforts to coerce him and his family were orchestrated by Sarkozy’s emissaries. He recounted being approached by Paris-based consultant Souha al-Bedri, who allegedly proposed he deny all claims of Libyan funding in return for help with his ICC warrant. Saif also alleged that Sarkozy’s representatives contacted his imprisoned brother, Hannibal Gaddafi, offering his release in exchange for persuading Saif to withdraw his accusations.
While Bedri denied passing on any such message, a lawyer for Hannibal Gaddafi confirmed the contact occurred in 2022. Despite these pressures, Saif claims he “categorically rejected” all offers.
Sarkozy’s defence
Sarkozy’s legal team has dismissed Saif’s accusations as “fanciful” and “opportunistic,” with his lawyer Christophe Ingrain criticising the timing of these claims amidst the ongoing trial. “For 10 years, he has promised to produce evidence but has delivered nothing,” Ingrain stated, accusing Saif of “bragging” without merit.
Sarkozy himself has consistently denied wrongdoing, branding allegations of secret funding deals in Gaddafi’s tent as “grotesque.” In court this week, he lamented the need to answer such claims, describing them as a “sullied” attack on his legacy.
A troubled legacy
The trial marks a dramatic moment in Sarkozy’s career, already overshadowed by two prior convictions. Last month, France’s highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to house arrest with an electronic bracelet. This earlier case arose from wiretapped phone conversations during the Libya funding investigation.
Sarkozy’s relationship with the Gaddafi regime was complex. Early in his presidency, he welcomed Muammar Gaddafi to France for a controversial state visit. Yet by 2011, Sarkozy was among the first leaders to push for NATO intervention in Libya, a move that ultimately led to Gaddafi’s ousting and death.
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The suitcase of cash allegations
French investigators have scrutinised Sarkozy’s associates, including his former chief of staff, Claude Guéant, over multiple trips to Libya between 2005 and 2007. Saif alleged that he personally supervised a $2.5 million payment to Guéant, facilitated by Gaddafi’s treasurer Bashir Saleh. He recounted an incident where the cash-filled suitcase was so overstuffed that Guéant had to stand on it, prompting laughter among the Libyan officials present.
Saleh, a co-defendant in the case, sought refuge in France during Libya’s civil war and later relocated to South Africa before settling in the UAE. He has refused to testify in the trial.
Implications for Sarkozy’s future
This trial is seen as the most significant threat to Sarkozy’s legacy. While his political career has been tainted by prior scandals, the allegations of Libyan financing are particularly damaging, implicating him in corruption linked to one of the most controversial chapters of modern French foreign policy.
As the trial continues, with a verdict expected after its scheduled conclusion in April, the court will determine whether the claims made by Saif al-Islam hold weight or remain unsubstantiated accusations from a man shaped by the chaotic aftermath of Libya’s 2011 revolution.
