Gaddafi funded Sarkozy's 2007 win

Bashir al-Sayed Tunis - Azhar al-Jarboui Bashir al-Sayed, the lawyer of former Libyan prime minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi, has told Arabstoday that slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi did fund the campaign of  outgoing French president Nicolas Sarkozy in France's 2007 elections. "He supplied 50 million Euros, as proved by a document in an African investment portfolio and signed by the former head of foreign intelligence in Libya, Moussa Koussa, who defected from the regime before its fall and lives in exile in Doha," he said. Al-Sayed added that Mahmoudi, 69, revealed the details of the funding, saying Gaddafi sent envoys with the money to Sarkozy, during a visit to Mornaguia prison in Tunisia. He also confessed before the court of appeal in Tunisia on October 25 last year, as a response to a question by lawyer Salim Bin Osman. He continued: "The attested documents have been copied and sent to several European capitals," saying Mahmoudi feared he will be targeted. Al-Sayed also said that it was in the best interests of the head of Libya's interim government, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, to deny the claims as it was Sarkozy who brought him to power in Libya. He denounced attempts to discredit Mahmoudi saying his previous denials were a result of being pressured by prison officials. "The current Tunisian authorities are worse than former president Zine El Abidene Ali," he said of Tunisia's post-democratic transition after its own revolution that kicked off the Arab Spring uprisings. "I will continue defending my client, as he was chosen by the Libyan tribes and is the chairman of the committee for defending Libyan emigrants and oppressed Libyans inside Libya," said the defence lawyer. Mahmoud Mohammed Bouchaalh, Baghdadi Mahmoudi’s brother-in-law and the last prime minister during the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, however denied that Mahmoudi talked about foreign policy concerning France. He added: “Mahmoudi  did not tackle these issues with me or his daughter or his wife or his lawyer.” Lawyer Mabrouk Krashid, the head of Mahmoudi's defence team, said his client's family condemned the statements of Bouchaalh. He explained : "Mahmoudi is at odds with his brother-in-law who is close to the Libyan transitional government...this is political manipulation." Sarkozy in turn has denounces Mahmoudi's claims as "outrageous and grotesque." He said in an interview with the French channel Canal Plus: "The Libyan government said that the claims were incorrect and Gaddafi’s interpreter said it was untrue...who could believe such rumours?" A Tunisia court acquitted Mahmoudi from illegally crossing the border but he has been detained until a decision on his deportation is taken . He has in turn requested political asylum in Tunisia to avoid returning to Libya.