Sarkozy Denies Libyan Cash in Presidential Run

0:00France's former president, Nicolas Sarcosi, is fighting back in court, swearing up and down that no Libyan cash touched his 2007 presidential run. At a pair's appeal hearing this week, the 71-year-old told judges he's totally innocent, saying he owes the truth to the French people after, already doing 20 days behind bars. He's appealing a September conviction for criminal conspiracy. Hit with a five-year sentence over claims, he took funds from Moammar Gaddafi's regime, in exchange for favors, the 12-week trial, which kicked off last month, is digging into evidence against him and nine others, including ex-ministers, from his days as candidate and president through 2012. Sarcosi insists the accusations are pure politics, pointing out he led the western push against Gaddafi in 2011 during the air of spring, crackdown. Families of French victims from a 1989 plane bombing are upset, fearing he promised deals to Gaddafi's crew, linked to those attacks, that killed 54 French folks.

1:03Prosecutors say he offered to drop an arrest warrant for Gaddafi's brother-in-law, Abdullah Al-Sanussi, the bombing suspect now locked up in Libya. Thanks to French-led action, Sarcosi shot that down flat, saying he never cut any deals and Gaddafi had zero hold over him. The appeals court wraps up by June 3rd, verdict later, while Sarcosi deals with other cases like a confirmed illegal financing conviction from his, 2012 bid, meaning six months under house arrest, with an ankle tag still hanging over him. That's your Canada News Today update, AI powered and always on.