Sarkozy corruption trial shows 'nobody is untouchable'

At a small cinema in Paris on a recent Wednesday afternoon, journalist Fabrice Arfi was talking to dozens of spectators after the viewing of his latest documentary on an affair that's now at the center of a court case involving former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

"There were tens of thousands of documents, bank statements, handwritten notes, etc. We realized we could be dealing with the biggest state scandal in French history," Arfi recalled after a showing of the documentary called "Personne n'y comprend rien" ("No one understands anything").

Arfi works for investigative website Mediapart, which was key to launching the decadelong investigation.

Nicolas Sarkozy (left), France's president from 2007 to 2012, is on trial over illegal campaign donations from former Libyan Dictator Moammar Gadhafi (right)Image: Francois Mori/AP/picture alliance

Sarkozy, France's president from 2007 to 2012, is accused of receiving unregistered donations for his successful 2007 presidential campaign from Libya's former dictator, Moammar Gadhafi.

In return, Sarkozy allegedly agreed to whitewash Gadhafi's reputation in the West. Gadhafi, Libya's ruler from 1969 until his assassination in 2011, was accused of human rights violations and financing international terrorism.

Sarkozy, 69, and 12 others are now standing trial in Paris for corruption and violating French campaign finance laws. The defendants could face up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to €750,000 (about $785,000).

Details of the Sarkozy corruption case

In 2012, Mediapart published a confidential document that read that Gadhafi would be willing give Sarkozy €50 million (then around $66 million) for his election campaign. The document was signed by Libyan secret service chief Moussa Koussa. Mediapart has published more than 160 articles on the case since.

French courts have confirmed the authenticity of the confidential document, but Sarkozy has dismissed it as a "crude forgery."

Throughout their inquiry, investigative judges, who, in France, gather evidence before cases go to trial, put together a 557-page indictment. It reads like a spy thriller, detailing trips by some of Sarkozy's close collaborators to Libya, meetings with middlemen, suspicious money transfers and alleged suitcases filled with banknotes.

Christophe Ingrain, one of Sarkozy's lawyers, is having none of what the investigative judges have called a "bundle of indicators."

"That's just another way of saying there's no evidence. There are neither conclusive traces of bank transfers or payments nor how much money is alleged to have been passed on," he told DW.

Christophe Ingrain, one of Sarkozy's lawyers in his corruption trail, told DW there is 'no evidence'Image: Lisa Louis/DW

In the early days of the case, Sarkozy had decried a "plot” against him by Mediapart and Gadhafi, who told the media in 2011 that he had financed Sarkozy's campaign. The former French president claims Gadhafi was attempting revenge for Sarkozy spearheading an international coalition leading to the dictator's downfall in 2011.

Sarkozy has already been convicted by the last court of appeal of attempting to bribe a judge to obtain information in another case, and will soon have to wear an electronic tag for a year. He has labeled the verdict a personal vendetta: "Some judges are leading a political fight," he said at the time.

'Everybody has to respect the same legislation'

Sarkozy's claims are a common defense in France, where politicians regularly depict cases against them as conspiracies.

"They act as if they weren't subject to our laws — and yet, everybody has to respect the same legislation," Cecile Vigour, a sociology and political science researcher at France's national research institute CNRS, told DW.

"Our studies show that the French are attached to our judicial system and have a great amount of trust in the police, judges and lawyers. But many also feel it's a two-tier system with the elite often getting away with it."

The Sarkozy trial could have ramifications for anti-corruption efforts in FranceImage: Vincent Isore/IP3press/IMAGO

Vigour thinks that feeling could have devastating consequences.

"If people lose trust in our judicial system, they'll also lose trust in our institutions and democracy, which then becomes more vulnerable — for example, to attempts of foreign interference," she stressed.

France making strides against corruption

For Arfi, the Mediapart journalist, Sarkozy's case and others like it are proof of a certain hypocrisy.

"France always depicts itself as a country of the declaration of human rights. But two of our former prime ministers, Alain Juppe and Francois Fillon, have been convicted of embezzlement. The same goes for former President Jacques Chirac and Sarkozy," he said, speaking with DW.

After a recent screening of his documentary, Fabrice Arfi spoke with viewersImage: Lisa Louis/DW

But Alina Mungiu-Pippidi said France has been taking measures to strengthen trust in its institutions in recent decades. She's a professor of comparative public policy at Rome's Luiss Guido Carli University and runs websites comparing corruption across 146 countries.

"A lot of records show that traditionally, French government parties received illegal funding from various African dictators. But now, French regulation is better than EU regulation," she said, adding that former president Francois Hollande introduced stricter conflict of interest rules and created the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life.

She stressed that independent media, such as Mediapart, have been playing their part by unveiling scandals.

"Thirty years ago, there were no investigations on corruption in France. You could not report on politicians' private life or gains nearly at all. They were untouchable. Now, nobody is untouchable," said Mungiu-Pippidi.

The process of the Sarkozy trial, where a verdict is expected on April 10, could show the solidity of France's institutions, said Vincent Brengarth, a lawyer representing Sherpa, an NGO combating corruption and a civil plaintiff in the trial.

"The best response to those questioning our judicial system's impartiality is to take the time to look at each element of the case in a factual way. That's what the court is doing. This trial will go on for four months, which is exceptionally long for such a case," he said.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp