Takieddin’s refutation: Sarkozy’s suspended interrogation will resume on Thursday

Former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy will resume a third day of questioning on Thursday morning as part of a fraud investigation aimed at acquitting him of Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign, a judicial source said.

According to this source, the interrogation, which began on Tuesday morning and lasted for more than ten hours, was suspended on Wednesday around 19:00. Sarkozy’s car left the court at about 7:30 p.m. The former president (2007-2012) is being questioned as part of a judicial investigation launched in May 2021 following the abandonment of sulphurous Franco-Lebanese mediator Ziad Takieddine. His lawyers were not willing to comment at this stage.

Judge’s score

According to a judicial source, this first interrogation “concerns allegations of concealing bribery, a criminal association with the aim of preparing an organized group fraud and a criminal association with the aim of corrupting foreign judges.” Depending on the content of his testimony to the investigator and his assessment, Sarkozy could emerge from this interrogation either indicted or in the less incriminating status of an assisted witness. In the second case, he would have access to the file, but would not risk going to trial.

This interrogation was originally scheduled for mid-September and lasted three days. The former head of state, who has disputed any involvement in the events, is suspected of having consented to or allowed several people who tried to defraud French and Lebanese justice to acquit him in the Libyan case, which will be tried in early 2025. In addition to Sarkozy, justice suspects that at least nine main characters were involved in this operation, to varying degrees and at different times, including the paparazzi queen Mimi Marchand, the fraudster Noel Dubus or the late financier Pierre Reynaud.

Several cases

According to investigators, at least 608 thousand euros could have been used in this operation, according to recently established data. The legal agenda for Mr Sarkozy, who is currently promoting his latest book “Le temps des Combats”, is very busy. In addition to his Libyan financing trial, he will be tried in November on an appeal in the Bigmalion case. In another case, the so-called “Bismuth” case, the Constitutional Council recently opened the way to a possible new trial on procedural grounds.

“I am clean,” assured Nicolas Sarkozy in early September when asked about all these legal problems.