Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is standing trial over accusations he used Libyan cash to fund his 2007 presidential campaign, one of several legal battles the politician who once bestrode the world stage has faced over the past decade.

The trial of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on charges related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful 2007 presidential campaign began in Paris on Monday. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012,

A trial has opened of France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy and 11 co-defendants over alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by the government of then-Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.