On December 16, 2025, French prosecutors reignited a political firestorm by seeking indictments against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and nine others on suspicion of witness tampering in the long-running investigation into illegal campaign financing from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. The move marks the latest twist in a saga that has haunted Sarkozy since his 2007 election campaign, with allegations that millions in cash from the late Libyan dictator helped propel him to the presidency.
According to Bloomberg and France 24, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office officially requested the initiation of legal proceedings against Sarkozy and his co-accused, including Bruni-Sarkozy, for allegedly conspiring to persuade a key witness to retract incriminating testimony. The charges, as stated by prosecutors, include "criminal conspiracy to commit fraud as part of an organised gang" and "concealment of witness tampering." For Bruni-Sarkozy, the charge is limited to the conspiracy allegation.
The heart of the new case centers on the sudden reversal of testimony by Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman and longtime accuser in the Libya funding investigation. Takieddine had repeatedly claimed to have delivered up to five million euros (about $6 million) in cash from Gaddafi to Sarkozy and his chief of staff between 2006 and 2007. However, in 2020, Takieddine abruptly retracted his statements. This about-face sparked immediate suspicion among French investigators, who allege that Sarkozy’s circle may have pressured or paid Takieddine to change his story—an accusation Sarkozy and his allies have vigorously denied.
Tragically, Takieddine died in late September 2025, just as the legal drama was reaching its latest crescendo. His death, reported by France 24, has left some questions unanswered and added a layer of intrigue to the proceedings. Still, the prosecutors believe there is sufficient evidence to pursue the case against Sarkozy and the others allegedly involved in the witness tampering scheme.
The decision on whether to refer the case to a criminal court now rests with an investigating judge, who will weigh the evidence and the recommendations of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office. So far, Sarkozy’s lawyers and those representing Carla Bruni-Sarkozy have declined to comment on the new conspiracy charges, according to UNN and France 24.
This latest legal maneuver comes on the heels of a string of convictions and legal setbacks for Sarkozy. In September 2025, he was found guilty of seeking illegal funding from Gaddafi’s regime for his 2007 campaign and was sentenced to five years in prison, with a suspended sentence. The former president began serving time at La Santé prison in Paris on October 21, 2025, but was released after just 20 days following a judge’s order, pending the outcome of his appeal. During his brief incarceration, Sarkozy’s supporters rallied outside the prison, and the ex-president reportedly began writing a book, as reported by UNN.
Even before the current witness tampering investigation, Sarkozy had already been convicted in two other cases, with those decisions now final. Despite these mounting legal troubles, he remains a formidable figure on the French right, with many of his supporters standing by him through each new development. According to France 24, the 70-year-old has long maintained his innocence, repeatedly denying any wrongdoing in connection with the Libya financing allegations or the subsequent witness tampering probe.
The timeline of events underscores the complexity and persistence of the accusations. The original investigation into the alleged Libyan campaign funding began years ago, after Takieddine’s explosive claims about delivering cash-filled suitcases. The credibility of these allegations was hotly debated, but the retraction in 2020 only deepened the mystery. Prosecutors now allege that the retraction was not a change of heart, but rather the result of a coordinated effort to undermine the case against Sarkozy. The group accused of orchestrating this effort includes not only the former president and his wife, but also several close associates.
In the background, the French judicial system continues its slow, methodical progress. The appeal against Sarkozy’s September 2025 conviction for illegal campaign financing is set to begin in mid-March 2026, a date that looms large for both his legal team and his political future. The new witness tampering case, if it proceeds to trial, could further complicate his defense and cast a long shadow over the appeal.
The stakes are high not just for Sarkozy, but for the broader French political landscape. The allegations of foreign cash influencing a presidential campaign strike at the heart of democratic integrity, and the involvement of a former head of state adds a layer of gravity—and spectacle—to the proceedings. For supporters of Sarkozy, the repeated legal actions are seen by some as politically motivated, while critics argue that the rule of law must prevail, regardless of a defendant’s status or past office.
Throughout the ordeal, Sarkozy has remained defiant. As France 24 reports, he has consistently rejected the charges, insisting on his innocence and denouncing what he sees as a campaign to tarnish his legacy. His legal team has filed for parole and challenged each verdict, and his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has also been drawn into the legal maelstrom, facing charges for her alleged role in the conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.
The path ahead is uncertain. The investigating judge’s decision on whether to send Sarkozy and his co-accused to criminal court will determine the next phase of this saga. If the case proceeds, it promises to be one of the most closely watched trials in recent French history, with the potential to reshape public perceptions of political accountability and the boundaries of presidential power.
For now, the former president remains free, but the specter of further legal battles—and the possibility of additional convictions—continues to hang over him. As the appeals trial approaches in March 2026, all eyes will be on the French courts to see how they navigate the tangled web of accusations, denials, and political intrigue that has come to define the Sarkozy-Gaddafi affair.
With each new development, the story of Nicolas Sarkozy’s alleged Libyan millions grows more complex, a reminder that in politics, the past is never really past—and that the search for truth, however arduous, marches on.
