Prosecutors today called for the indictment of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and a dozen others in a 2007 campaign finance case in Libya, a well-informed source told AFP.

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office is demanding that the former President (2007-2012) stand trial for corruption, gang building, illegal campaign finance and misappropriated Libyan public funds.

The conspiracy charge means that Sarkozy knowingly allowed his close associates, political supporters and other intermediaries to “act to obtain or attempt to obtain” financial support from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime to finance his 2007 presidential campaign. Now it’s up to two investigators. who have been investigating the case since April 2013 to take it to petty court or decide which charges to drop.

Over the past decade, 13 people have been prosecuted based on investigations conducted by the Office for Combating Corruption (Oclciff) under the auspices of financial prosecutors. In addition to Sarkozy, defendants who have tried to stand trial include Claude Gen (Sarkozy’s former right-hand man and later minister), Eric Werth, 2007 campaign treasurer, and Brice Ortefe, Sarkozy’s confidant and former minister. .

Two businessmen, the French-Lebanese Ziad Taklentin and the French-Algerian Alexandre Jury, are accused in the same case, and are said to have acted as an intermediary.

Sarkozy’s side denies any responsibility and has petitioned several times, unsuccessfully, to stay the prosecution.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.