At the close of its three-day hearing in a trial that began on January 6, the prosecutor also requested five years of political disqualification for the 69-year-old Parisian, who governed from 2007 to 2012.

Sarkozy faces justice on charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy, and use of money agreed upon with former Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, who was assassinated in 2011. These charges have also been brought against several of his associates.

The former president maintains his innocence and argues that the offenses he is accused of lack solid evidence, only hypotheses.

However, in their statements this week, prosecutors have stated they have no doubt about the former head of state’s guilt, based on investigations into his presidential campaign for the 2007 elections and various testimonies.

Severe sentences have also been sought against other defendants, including former ministers Claude Guéant (six years in prison) and Brice Hortefeux (three), and businessmen Alexandre Djouhri (five) and Ziad Takieddine (six), the latter of whom was one of those who testified about Gaddafi handing over €50 million to Sarkozy.

According to prosecutors such as Sébastien de la Touanne, the individuals named in the case painted a grim picture of the French Republic, with a “Faustian corruption pact with one of the most diabolical dictators.”

In previous sessions, his colleague Quentin Dandoy had detailed elements of the corruption chain, claiming that Sarkozy himself validated the accounts.

Starting Monday, the defense will present its arguments in response to requests from the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office.

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