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France's Sarkozy Will Stand Trial over Alleged Libyan Campaign Financing

FILE - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, greets Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace, in Paris Dec. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, greets Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace, in Paris Dec. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
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France's Sarkozy Will Stand Trial over Alleged Libyan Campaign Financing

FILE - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, greets Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace, in Paris Dec. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)
FILE - French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, greets Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace, in Paris Dec. 10, 2007. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will stand trial in 2025 on charges of corruption and illegal financing related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful 2007 presidential bid, the financial prosecutor's office said on Friday.
Sarkozy, who remains an important figure in French politics although he no longer holds any elected post, has always denied the accusations. "There's not even the smallest inkling of proof," he said in an interview in 2018.
The conservative former president, in office from 2007 to 2012, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted in the case. He is also fighting various other legal cases, Reuters said.
In this case, he will stand trial over charges of "concealment of embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime punishable by 10 years in jail", the prosecutor's office said.
Among the 12 others facing trial in the case are Sarkozy's former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his then head of campaign financing Eric Woerth and former Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux.
An initial hearing is set for March 7, 2024, the prosecutor's office said, with the trial itself scheduled to take place between Jan.6, 2025 and April 10, 2025.
Sarkozy, 68, lost an appeal in May against a 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling. His legal team promised to challenge that at France's highest court.
Sarkozy's conservative predecessor, the late Jacques Chirac, was found guilty of corruption in 2011, four years after he left office.

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Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
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Iran Warns Europeans That Reimposing Sanctions Could Have Irreversible Consequences

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. (Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via Reuters)

Iran's foreign minister warned Britain, France and Germany on Monday that a decision to trigger a UN mechanism reimposing sanctions on Tehran could lead to an irreversible escalation of tensions.

Under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying a 2015 nuclear pact, the three European powers could reimpose United Nations sanctions against Tehran before October 18, known in diplomatic circles as the "snapback mechanism".

"Iran has made its position clear. We have officially warned all JCPOA (nuclear pact) signatories that abuse of the snapback mechanism will lead to consequences — not only the end of Europe's role in the agreement, but also an escalation of tensions that could become irreversible," Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote in a column in French weekly magazine Le Point.

US President Donald Trump exited Tehran's 2015 nuclear accord with six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed tough sanctions that have devastated Iran's economy.

The European powers are not part of current negotiations between Iran and the United States, the fourth round of which ended in Oman on Sunday.

But the three powers have sought to coordinate closely with Washington with a view to whether and when they should use the snapback mechanism to raise pressure on Iran over its nuclear program.

Trump said on Monday that Iran was "talking intelligently."

"We want Iran to be wealthy and wonderful and happy and great, but they can't have a nuclear weapon, it's very simple. So I think they understand that I mean business and I think they're being very reasonable thus far," he told reporters.

Talks between the so-called E3 and Iran in Rome earlier in May were postponed. Araqchi said that a meeting between Iran's deputy foreign minister and E3 counterparts had since taken place, describing them as a "promising, but fragile start."

France's foreign ministry declined to comment. The British and German foreign ministries were not immediately available to comment.

According to diplomats and a document seen by Reuters, the E3 countries may trigger a snapback by August if no substantial deal can be found by then. The window closes on October 18.

Relations between the E3 and Iran have worsened over the last year despite sporadic meetings, against a backdrop of new sanctions imposed on Tehran over its ballistic missile program, its detention of foreign citizens and support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Iran, which has long said its nuclear program is peaceful, has breached the 2015 pact's nuclear curbs since 2019, including "dramatically" accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons-grade, according to the UN nuclear watchdog.

It denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.