Nicolas Sarkozy in police custody over Gaddafi funding probe
Former French president’s 2007 campaign allegedly financed by Libyan dictator

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is being held in police custody over suspected illegal campaign financing linked to late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Investigators in the Paris suburb of Nanterre are questioning Sarkozy about whether his successful 2007 election campaign received €50m (£44m) in illicit funds originating from the dictator, who was killed by rebels in 2011 at the close of the Libyan Civil War.
Such a sum “would be more than double the legal campaign funding limit at the time” and violate French rules against foreign financing, the Associated Press says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is the first time Sarkozy has been quizzed by police since a judicial inquiry was opened in 2013, according to French newspaper Le Monde.
The investigation centres on claims by former members of the Libyan regime. Sarkozy, who served as president between 2007 and 2012, denies any wrongdoing.
The allegations first emerged after he spearheaded an international military campaign to topple the Libyan regime in 2011.
Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, said at the time: “Sarkozy has to give back the money he accepted from Libya to finance his electoral campaign. We financed his campaign and we have the proof.”
In 2016, French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine claimed that he had personally delivered suitcases containing €5m (£4.4m) in cash to Sarkozy and his former chief of staff Claude Gueant.
Sarkozy’s former aide Alexandre Djouhri was arrested in London in January in connection with the investigation. He has since been granted bail and will face an extradition hearing next month.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
The France-Indonesia push for an Israeli-Palestinian two-state solution
Talking Points Both countries have said a two-state solution is the way to end the Middle East conflict
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law