The corruption trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy in France is testing the country’s democratic resilience and the judiciary’s capacity to act as a counter-power to leaders bending democratic rules. Sarkozy, who led the country from 2007 to 2012, is accused of illegally funding his 2007 presidential campaign with millions of euros from one of Africa’s most notorious dictators, former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in exchange for France strengthening its ties to Libya and reexamining its terrorism charge against Gaddafi’s brother-in-law and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi. In March, French prosecutors demanded that if Sarkozy is found guilty, he must serve seven years of detention, pay the equivalent of $340,000 in damages, and be banned from political office.
