Nicolas Sarkozy and three former French ministers are among the defendants who have been on trial since Monday, January 6, in Paris, accused of having entered into a "corruption pact" with Muammar Gaddafi. The former Libyan "guide," in power from 1969 until his assassination in 2011, is alleged to have illegally helped finance Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign in return for, among other things, a form of French lobbying facilitating the Libyan pariah's return to the international stage in the late 2010s. The former French president formally rejected these accusations in the early days of his trial.

It would be risky to predict the outcome of the lengthy trial, scheduled to run until April 10. But Gaddafi's reputation and the practices he employed to achieve his political objectives – particularly on the African continent – during his long reign suggest that this case may not have been his first "corruption pact." He liked to give gifts to win loyalty. "Especially during his lavish foreign visits, for which he never went without suitcases full of cash," explained a person familiar with several African presidents at the time.

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