Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday said he “did not commit any of the acts” he is accused of, as he took the stand at an appeal trial over claims he sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election campaign.
Sarkozy became modern France’s first president to serve jail time last year after being convicted in an earlier trial on the same charges, spending 20 days behind bars.
“I appealed because I did not commit any of the acts for which I was convicted. I will muster all the strength I have to defend this truth, which is deeply rooted within me,” Sarkozy said on the third day of the appeal hearing.
The 71-year-old has consistently denied wrongdoing and again told the court on Tuesday that he was innocent.
A lower court in September found the right-wing politician—who served as president from 2007-2012—guilty of seeking funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya for the campaign that brought him to power, sentencing him to five years in prison.
Sarkozy served 20 days before being released pending appeal.
Under France’s legal system, an appeal trial amounts to a retrial, with the court re-examining all evidence and testimony. Sarkozy is therefore presumed innocent.
The trial is set to run until June 3, with a verdict expected in the fall. If convicted, Sarkozy faces up to ten years in prison.
Sarkozy has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office and has already received two definitive convictions in separate cases.
