Prosecutors Seek Guilty Verdict for Sarkozy in Libyan Campaign Funding Appeal

They said he instigated meetings with representatives of the Libyan regime to receive funds used to finance his 2007 election campaign. The prosecutors were scheduled to present their closing statements on May 12 in Paris.

The appeal concerns a conviction reached in the initial trial where Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy but acquitted of three other major charges. Prosecutors maintained that Sarkozy played an active role in arranging the funding through a series of meetings with Libyan officials.

During the first trial, the court accepted evidence of conspiracy while determining that other related accusations did not meet the required standard of proof. The appeal proceedings allow both sides to re-examine the facts and legal conclusions reached in that verdict.

France 24 reported that the prosecution's position remained consistent with its earlier arguments as the trial moved toward its conclusion in the French capital.