In a striking precedent, an elite group of Bulgarian political and legal figures, including two former presidents, several ministers, and a former attorney general, have become involved in the judicial predicament facing former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. This intervention follows his recent conviction and five-year prison sentence for allegedly receiving illicit funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to support his 2007 presidential campaign.
The case that has ignited considerable debate in France concerns allegations that he secured illegal financial backing from the Gaddafi regime during his 2007 campaign while serving as Interior Minister. Prosecutors maintain that Gaddafi provided millions of Euros in return for pledges to reintegrate Libya into the international community and ease existing Western restrictions. Despite the Paris court’s acquitting him on more severe charges, such as passive corruption and concealment of embezzlement of public funds, it sentenced him to five years of immediate imprisonment, a concurrent five-year ban from public office, and a €100,000 fine. This verdict was rendered despite the absence of physical documentation from Libyan archives and conflicting testimony. His lawyers promptly deemed the ruling “harsh and unbalanced” and a “violation of the principle of presumed innocence.”
This collective appeal, as reported by the Bulgarian newspaper 24 Chasa, coincides with the 18th anniversary of the Bulgarian AIDS Nurses affair. This involved five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor who were initially condemned to death in Libya for intentionally transmitting HIV to children at a Benghazi hospital. However, French intervention, spearheaded by Sarkozy and his then-wife, Cécilia Sarkozy, successfully secured their release in July 2007 through mediation efforts.
Now, nearly two decades after that critical rescue operation, the former Bulgarian officials involved in the 2007 mediation team have decided to offer their backing to Sarkozy in his current legal crisis. They view this action as a repayment of gratitude to the man who saved Bulgarian nationals from a certain death sentence. Former Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov (1997–2002) confirmed to 24 Chasa that Bulgarians have not forgotten Sarkozy’s actions, indicating they will draft a letter to the current French President, Emmanuel Macron, formally requesting a pardon based on purely humanitarian grounds.
In a related development, former President Georgi Parvanov (2002–2012) expressed his readiness to sign the unified support letter, stressing Sarkozy’s decisive role at that crucial moment. Parvanov added that the initiative would also incorporate former key ministers from the Foreign, Justice, and Defence portfolios, including Nadezhda Mihaylova, Solomon Passy, and Anton Stankov. Minister Anton Stankov insisted that the joint letter would carry “significant weight” with the backing of two former heads of state and senior ministers, clarifying that the main objective is to “highlight the humanitarian dimension” of Sarkozy’s case, not to interfere with French judicial independence. Minister Solomon Passy declared his absolute solidarity, stating Europe owes a debt of gratitude to both Nicolas and Cécilia Sarkozy for saving lives when the world felt powerless against the intransigence of the Gaddafi regime.
Even Cécilia Attias (formerly Sarkozy), despite her divorce, has engaged in the Bulgarian effort in support of her ex-husband, announcing she “does not want Nicolas to die in prison,” describing his current situation as “unjust.” She is scheduled to recount the behind-the-scenes details of her 2007 visit to Tripoli during a book presentation hosted by the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, stressing her motive was purely humanitarian, the same drive she uses today to support Nicolas. Sarkozy himself affirmed in his final court statement: “I will fight to the end to prove my innocence.” This action comes amidst reports that Cécilia will confirm her trips to Libya were on the direct mandate of her husband when he was President.
Former Bulgarian Attorney General Boris Velchev, who served as Parvanov’s special envoy in the Libyan file, stated that supporting Sarkozy today is a “moral obligation” in reciprocation for Bulgaria’s assistance during a critical time.
