Sarkozy attacks ex-campaign manager over donations from Libya

PARIS (CN) — On Tuesday, the rift deepened between the former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Claude Guéant, the campaign manager in charge of his successful 2007 presidential run.

Prosecutors say Guéant helped orchestrate roughly $58 million in donations funneled into the campaign under a “corruption pact” with former autocratic Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The funds were said to be in exchange for diplomatic leverage — at the time, Gadhafi was trying to repair his image on the international stage.

In September 2025, the Paris Criminal Court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy, while Guéant was convicted of corruption, passive influence peddling, forgery and use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy. The ruling was historic; Sarkozy became the first French president to spend time in prison, although he was released 20 days into his five-year sentence.

Now, both are appealing the charges in a trial set to run through June 3. However, the tone is notably different; while Sarkozy initially argued the affair was politically motivated, he’s now shifting blame onto his associates. Though Guéant is not attending the trial for health reasons, he is not being spared.

But now he’s starting to fight back. On Tuesday, he released a letter to the Paris Court of Appeal disputing Sarkozy’s arguments point by point. During hearings from April 7 to 9, Sarkozy maintained he was never aware of Guéant’s actions in Libya — an argument met with skepticism, since it would be unusual for Guéant to go over the head of his boss for something so major.

“What I want to say is that throughout my collaboration with Nicolas Sarkozy, I was never driven by personal interest,” he wrote in the letter, published by French media outlet RTL. “I have only ever done my best to serve the minister, and later the president, follow his instructions and ensure the implementation of his policies.”

Sarkozy also maintains he didn’t know his former campaign manager took four trips to Libya between 2008 and 2010. Guéant remembers things differently; he wrote the objectives of the trip were to get Gadhafi onboard for a new Mediterranean Union, ensure follow-up to agreements signed in 2007 and sell weapons to Libya.

“Nicolas Sarkozy was obviously aware of them, since I was absent from the office during those short trips,” Guéant wrote. “Of course these trips were made at the request of the president.”

On Tuesday morning, Guéant’s lawyer Philippe Bouchez El Ghozi fired questions at Sarkozy for hours — the courtroom was tense as the two engaged in a fiery back-and-forth with voices raised and arms flailing.

The tension was momentarily broken when Raye’s pop ballad “Where is my husband!” started blaring from a journalist’s phone, and she seemed unable to turn it off. Two minutes later, it happened again; she was escorted out of the courtroom by a policeman, and the judge scolded the audience about silencing their devices.

El Ghozi then turned to Sarkozy and asked directly if his statements about Guéant were part of a defense strategy, especially considering that Guéant could not attend the trial. This prompted Sarkozy to scoff.

“I’m doing my work as a defense lawyer!” El Ghozi exclaimed. “And you’re attacking the fact that I asked a question.”

“Who said you couldn’t ask it!” Sarkozy fired back before lowering his voice. “It’s not a question of strategy, it’s a question of truth — without insulting anyone, I was shocked by a certain number of things [in the file], period.”

Sarkozy described Guéant as a “competent, available and loyal contributor,” and said he was astonished by what he read in the case file. He knew — “really knew” — his former campaign manager from 2002 to 2012, he added, and said he was very respected for his work.

“I can respond in a very precise fashion … [about the work that Guéant did when he was my collaborator] but other elements in the file, at the time, I wasn’t aware of them,” he said. “I think it’s honest to present it the way I am — it’s sad, but honest.”

El Ghozi was stiff as he stood at his desk, surrounded by stacks of papers and two water bottles, shuffling notes around.

“I refuse to close my eyes to things that I can see after 14 years that I couldn’t see at the beginning,” Sarkozy said.

Sarkozy’s testimony was set to wrap Tuesday. However, he is now expected for another round on April 29.

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