Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged over a Libyan campaign financing scandal. AFP
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged over a Libyan campaign financing scandal. AFP
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged over a Libyan campaign financing scandal. AFP
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged over a Libyan campaign financing scandal. AFP

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy charged with 'criminal association' in Libyan campaign financing


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Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been charged with criminal association over suspected Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign.

Mr Sarkozy left office in 2012 but has been dogged by the campaign finance scandal since his departure.

The charge for "membership in a criminal conspiracy" was brought on Monday, and adds to charges in 2018 of "passive corruption", "benefitting from embezzled public funds" and "illegal campaign financing" against Mr Sarkozy, prosecutors said today.

The latest charge, which can be appealed under French law, came after prosecutors interviewed Mr Sarkozy for more than 40 hours over four days.

Prosecutors suspect the former president and his associates received millions of euros from the regime of former strongman Muammar Qaddafi to help finance his election bid.

Mr Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, said on his Facebook page that his "innocence had been tarnished" by the charges, without "even the slightest proof".

He said that during the questioning "I answered every question I was asked without ever being put in difficulty."

Last month, a Paris appeals court threw out Sarkozy's bid to have the investigation dismissed, making a trial more likely.

Sarkozy, 65, denies the charges that were sparked by investigative website Mediapart in 2012, when it published a document purporting to show that Qaddafi agreed to give the French politician up to €50 million ($58.6 million).

In his defence Mr Sarkozy - who is himself a trained lawyer - has claimed presidential immunity, and said there is no legal basis in France for prosecuting someone for misusing funds from a foreign country.

Judges are also investigating claims by a French-Lebanese businessman, Ziad Takieddine, who said he delivered suitcases carrying a total of €5 million ($5.8 million) from the Libyan regime to Mr Sarkozy's chief of staff in 2006 and 2007.

Shortly after his election, the former president controversially invited Qaddafi to Paris for a state visit.

However, he also put France at the forefront of NATO-led air strikes against Qaddafi's troops, leading to the dictator's downfall in 2011.

Mr Sarkozy said after being charged in 2018 that for him "politics is finished".

In June, Mr Sarkozy released a book charting his rise to power, sidestepping the corruption allegations that have dogged his post-presidential life.

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The White Lotus: Season three

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Dust and sand storms compared

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  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone

Four out of five stars 

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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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'Gold'

Director:Anthony Hayes

Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes

Rating:3/5

MATCH INFO

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The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
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What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

'Top Gun: Maverick'

Rating: 4/5

 

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

 

Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris

 

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

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Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

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