Sarkozy, who has faced a litany of legal problems since his one term in office, denies the Libyan allegations -- the most serious he faces. The 68-year-old has already been convicted twice for corruption and influence-peddling in separate cases involving attempts to influence a judge and campaign financing. Among the others facing trial over the alleged Libyan corruption are heavyweights such as Sarkozy's former right-hand man Claude Gueant, his then head of campaign financing Eric Woerth and former minister Brice Hortefeux. Sarkozy took a lead role in negotiating Russia's partial withdrawal from Georgia after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion in 2008 and he and his prime minister, Francois Fillon, enjoyed friendly relations with the Kremlin leader. Sarkozy faces a separate probe into possible potential influence-peddling after he received a payment by Russian insurance firm Reso-Garantia of three million euros in 2019 while working as a consultant.
