Ahmad 
The issue of Libyan financing of Sarkozy’s campaign raised the crisis of European democracies in general and exposed the nature of the French political scene and its fragile relationship with Libya and North African countries in general.
Although the basic picture of Sarkozy’s case regarding the financing of his campaign seems to be related to the issue of fighting corruption, but on the other hand, it places the entire French policy within a network of external influences, and also draws the features of relations that affect not only the image of “Western democracies” only, but the nature of the political thinking that governs European decision-making centers in their international dealings, as the Sarkozy case is a matter of an entire political elite that found in Libya the focus of continuous competition, whether during the era of the late President Muammar Gaddafi, or even after the events of 2011. And the deep turmoil and divisions it left on the Libyan geographical area.
The model of the relationship between former President Muammar Gaddafi and Western powers seems to be a political situation through which political and economic dynamics can be understood, which transcends national borders to become part of an international power game, especially in light of the current Libyan situation based on multiple foreign interventions and the formulation of a political process based mainly on an international role in the first place.
Political backgrounds
The issue of Libyan funding for Nicolas Sarkozy’s electoral campaign in 2007 began to take a judicial turn in April 2013, after accusations appeared since 2011 and allegations published by the French website “Media Part” about large funding for Sarkozy estimated at fifty million euros, and the accusations were followed by judicial investigations in France that dealt with the legal and financial aspects of the case, and the case developed slowly until it was announced on the fourth of May 2024 that Carla Bruni, wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was interrogated as a suspect in the Illegal financing of Sarkozy’s campaign.
These investigations came as part of a long series of investigations that began years ago, which showed complexities that transcend national borders to reveal a wide network of relations and deals between the political systems in France and Libya, where Bruni was accused of manipulating witness statements, especially with regard to businessman Ziad Taqi al-Din’s retraction of his previous statements regarding the transfer of funds, as he confirmed at the beginning of the investigations that he transferred bags containing millions of euros from Libya to the French Ministry of the Interior when Sarkozy was He was appointed Minister of Interior, and later retracted his statements and investigations continued to determine whether Taqi al-Din received money or was pressured to change his statements.
Influencing political dynamics
The details of the investigations seem just a gateway to read the difficult equation of French-Libyan relations, as they reveal the political papers that were used to build alliances and end differences with Libya after the end of the “Lockerbie” case, which put Libya under a suffocating international blockade, as the French policy towards Libya is characterized by complexity and overlapping interests, and during Sarkozy’s rule, France sought to strengthen its relationship with Gaddafi, overcoming many previous differences, and Gaddafi’s visit to Paris in 2007 and his official reception at the Elysee were a clear expression of the new alliances, but Things changed with the outbreak of Libyan unrest in 2011.
What the Sarkozy case and Libya’s campaign financing reflect goes beyond the issues of potential corruption in French politics and highlights the mechanism that France followed in its diplomatic relations to achieve short-term political gains and caused repercussions on political stability and the consolidation of a form of relations between Western powers with the Middle East and North Africa:
- What Gaddafi offered Sarkozy did not prevent France from playing a leading role in the international coalition that intervened militarily in Libya in 2011, resulting in Gaddafi’s overthrow and death.
This intervention raised many questions about France’s real motives, as some observers believe that Sarkozy was seeking to get rid of Gaddafi to hide his ambiguous relationship with Libyan financing of his election campaign, a move that greatly affected the Libyan political scene, leading to chaos and conflict that continues to this day.
- The second issue is related to the paradox in the alliances established by the West in general, and France in particular, with Libya currently, as the model of Sarkozy’s policy with Gaddafi and the transition from rivalry to alliance and then to military intervention will remain within the current situation in Libya, and the Western competition for control of Libyan politics illustrates a contradiction between the attempt to form a front against the “supposed” Russian presence, and the conflict over interests in the Libyan west, which reflects negatively on the Libyan political process.
This is evident through the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, where she wants to strengthen the Italian role in Libya to enhance its role in it, as the visit seems to coincide with the return of the Sarkozy case to the forefront of the French political scene, and it bears an indication of deposits that Italy is ready to enter Libya on a different ground from French policy, and that it is able to pressure and influence even in eastern Libya, which seems far from European conflicts on Libya.
Despite all the repercussions that the Sarkozy case has for Libya’s relationship with France, it also exposes the gaps in the French democratic system, and how foreign money can influence election results and government policies. If investigations are closed and Sarkozy goes to trial, the trial is expected to begin in early 2025 on charges including covering up the embezzlement of Libyan public funds, corruption, forming a criminal gang and illegal campaign financing. This trial will be historic, not only because it involves a former president, but because it highlights the extent to which foreign funds are involved in French politics.
Written by Nidal Al-Khedary
Algeria: Summoning the Ambassador from France Begins a Series of Protest Measures