In the spotlight: Sarkozy haunted by the ghost of Gaddafi

In the spotlight Sarkozy haunted by the ghost of Gaddafi

In the affair of the alleged Libyan financing of the victorious electoral campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy, in 2007, the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office requests the referral to a criminal court of the former President of the Republic as well as that of three of his former ministers as well , Claude Guéant, Brice Hortefeux and Éric Woerth, plus that of the businessman Thierry Gaubert or the intermediaries Ziad Takieddine and Alexandre Djouhri. In all, thirteen people, presumed innocent, that goes without saying.

Order of dismissal for acts of ” corruption », « conspiracy », « illegal election campaign financing ” And ” concealment of embezzlement of public funds “, underlines Mediapart, which had revealed the affair twelve years ago.

Being reminded that Nicolas Sarkozy is under suspicion of a corruption pact with former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi before the 2007 presidential election in France, Mediapart believes that, if there is a trial, ” this will be historic, as the facts at the center of the Libyan financing affair today establish the judicial suspicion of a democracy which knowingly sold itself to a dictatorship “, logs this online newspaper.

It’s a ” little politico-media earthquake (which is) in sight », anticipates Release. Especially since Nicolas Sarkozy, next Thursday, will know the decision of the Court of Appeal in the file of “wiretapping”, which earned him a sentence at first instance to three years in prison, including one firm, for corruption and trafficking of influence. “ He will also be retried from November 2023 on appeal in the Bygmalion case, which earned him a year in prison at first instance. “, remember Freed. Don’t throw any more?

The Republicans, the fall

The Les Républicains party is no longer a recipe. Memberships are in free fall “, point The Parisian. This newspaper illustrates the said ” free fall of eloquent figures. Thus, during the first quarter of this year, the federation Les Républicains des Yvelines registered 980 members, against 4,000 at the same time a year earlier. In the Bouches-du-Rhône, this right-wing party attracted less than 700 activists, against 3,000 last year, and 3,000 in the Alpes-Maritimes, against 9,000 in 2022, in the very stronghold of the president of the gone, Eric Ciotti. “ i.e. a reduction observed of 70 to 80% in these territories, point The Parisian. The trend at the national level would not be much better, around 40,000 activists up to date with contributions, when, a year earlier, at the same time, there were 50,000. “. According to an LR parliamentarian interviewed by this newspaper, it is ” a disaster “.

The mayor throws in the towel

On the left, it is indignation after the resignation of the various right-wing mayor of the town of Saint-Brevin-les-Pins, in the west of the country. He was targeted by a campaign of intimidation from ultra-right activists. Which reproached him for not opposing the move and the expansion in his town of a reception center for asylum seekers. Two months ago, his home was burned down. Feeling abandoned by the public authorities, Yannick Morez threw in the towel.

And indeed, this morning, the press close to the left is indignant. “ The macronie seems unable to fight the fascist threat. Or worse, don’t want to “, fulminates thus Humanity. The communist daily criticizes the government for comparing ” fascism on the far left “.

Admittedly, the French leaders reacted to the resignation of the mayor of Saint-Brévin-les-Pins, but the support of the State for the resigning mayor “ come too late », laments Release. (…) What can be said of Gérald Darmanin’s obsession with denouncing the “ intellectual terrorism of the far left, compared to its silence in the face of violence from the far right? What about his propensity to exploit, with the support of the head of state, the themes dear to the far right, immigration in mind?

For this daily, this policy of amalgamation, this instrumentalization of RN themes, is culpable. It trivializes a racist and xenophobic ideology. It’s appalling. And politically stupid, since the real beneficiary of this nauseating strategy will be the far right itself. », anticipates Freed. Or pretends to anticipate, who knows?

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