Defensive Strategies Unfold in Sarkozy-Kadhafi Trial
Key defendants face accusations regarding Libyan financing of Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign.
On April 2 and 3, 2025, during the trial concerning alleged Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign, the defense teams for Wahib Nacer and the Bugshan cousins presented combative arguments, shifting blame among the defendants.
Defense lawyers representing Alexandre Djouhri contended that the prosecution's case relied solely on conjecture.
Wahib Nacer, a Franco-Djiboutian banker, endured a challenging day in court, where he was subject to intense scrutiny and aggressive rhetoric from the legal teams of his former associates, who referred to him using derogatory terms.
As the sole defendant present at the proceedings, Nacer has demonstrated consistent attendance at all relevant court sessions.
On the same day, the Bugshan cousins, prominent Saudi billionaires, were scrutinized for allegedly obscuring Libyan funds within their expansive bank accounts to conceal illicit monetary transactions.
Ahmed Salem Bugshan’s defense argued for a portrayal of modesty, despite his substantial fortune estimated at over one billion.
His lawyer, Raphaël Treuillaud, highlighted his client’s charitable involvements and dismissed suggestions of financial misconduct, attributing any mismanagement of funds to a lack of oversight by his extensive staff, which included a legion of accountants.
The proceedings mark a significant moment in ongoing investigations into the alleged corruption and financial irregularities surrounding the former French president.
The defense strategies employed thus far reveal the complexities and interconnections among various defendants involved in the high-profile case.