Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has gone on trial over allegations related to the “Libyan case.”

Sarkozy went on trial on Monday to face the opening hearing of his trial on charges of accepting illegal campaign funding from the government of the late Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi

The charges against Sarkozy include passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, criminal association and embezzlement of public funds.

Twelve suspects, Sarkozy and eleven others, including three former ministers and former close aides, are standing trial, accused of devising a pact with Gadafi to illegally fund Sarkozy’s 2007 election bid.

They all deny the charges. However, if found guilty, Sarkozy faces up to 10 years in prison under the charges of concealing embezzlement of public funds and illegal campaign financing.

Sarkozy has labeled a document allegedly proving that some funds came from Gaddafi’s sanctioned government “fake.”

His lawyer put out a statement denying the charges. “We want to believe the court will have the courage to examine the facts objectively, without being guided by the nebulous theory that poisoned the investigation.”

Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who prosecutors describe as the broker of the deal, has reportedly fled to Lebanon and will not be present in court.

Takieddine was said to have personally delivered the suitcases full of cash from Libyan officials to the French Interior Ministry.

Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted by the French Judiciary for corruption and influence peddling. He has served a one-year sentence.

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