Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy went on trial in Paris on Monday on charges that his 2007 presidential campaign received illegal funding from Libyan Colonel Muammar el-Gaddafi.
The trial, scheduled to last three months, is far from the first for Sarkozy, 69, the conservative politician who led France from 2007 to 2012, but it is one of the most serious legal threats to a French politician since Sarkozy. left the office
Just last month, Mr Sarkozy became the first former French president to be sentenced to actual detention after exhausting his final appeal in a separate corruption and abuse of influence case. However, he will wear an electronic bracelet and serve his sentence under house arrest.
But of all the legal cases against Mr. Sarkozy, the Libyan one is one of the most extensive, complex and explosive. These include accusations that his campaign illegally received large sums of money from former Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, who was killed by rebels in 2011.
Sarkozy, who has denied wrongdoing, could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of about $400,000.
