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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy returned to a Paris courtroom on Monday for a retrial concerning allegations that he sought illegal campaign funding from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Last year, Sarkozy became the first modern-day French head of state to be incarcerated after a lower court sentenced him to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy.
Having served 20 days before being released pending this appeal, the 71-year-old maintains his innocence and is once again legally presumed innocent as the court re-examines the evidence.
The prosecution’s case centres on a 2005 deal where Sarkozy’s aides allegedly secured funding for his successful 2007 presidential run in exchange for helping to rehabilitate Gaddafi’s international reputation.
While the previous court found him guilty of the conspiracy, it did not explicitly conclude that the funds were ultimately received or used.
This new trial, set to conclude in early June, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years if the former president is convicted again.
This case is just one of several legal battles for Sarkozy, who has already received definitive convictions in other matters, including the illegal financing of his 2012 re-election bid.
During his brief time in prison, he authored a book titled Diary of a Prisoner, which detailed his experiences behind bars and hinted at his vision for the future of the French right wing.
Meanwhile, he and his wife, Carla Bruni, face further potential legal trouble over separate allegations of witness bribery.
