French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Taqi al-Din – Photo from Reuters Archive. reuters_tickers
This content was published December 4, 2020 – 9:07 PM July,
From Ellen Francis
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Two Lebanese security sources said Friday that the country’s authorities have detained French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Taqi al-Din for his involvement in allegations of secret Libyan funding for former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s election campaign in 2007.
The two sources added that Taqi al-Din’s arrest was based on an International Police (Interpol) order related to the Sarkozy case and separate corruption charges.
French prosecutors are investigating allegations that Muammar Gaddafi provided Sarkozy’s successful election campaign with millions of euros sent to Paris in suitcases, Sarkozy denies.
In a 2016 interview with a French news website, Taqi al-Din said he had transferred about $ 5 million in illegal funding from Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief to Sarkozy and his campaign manager.
But when Taqi al-Din reappeared in Beirut a few months ago, he pulled that story into a video clip published by French media.
Imad al-Khazen told Reuters on Friday that he and another lawyer in Beirut stopped representing Taqi al-Din early last week due to unpaid dues and disagreements on how to proceed with the case.
Reuters has yet to confirm whether Taqi al-Din has appointed other legal representatives.
(Prepared by Salma Najm for the Arab Newsletter – Edited by Muhammad Al-Yamani)
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