Sarkozy claims innocence at Libyan campaign funding appeal trial

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, at a Paris appeals court, on March 16, 2026. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said, on Wednesday, March 18, that he "did not commit any of the acts" he is accused of, as he took the stand at an appeal trial on charges he sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election.

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Sarkozy returns to court in appeal of Libyan campaign funding conviction

Sarkozy became modern France's first president to serve jail time last year after being convicted in an earlier trial on the same charges, spending 20 days behind bars.