FRENCH prosecutors are seeking to send former President Nicolas Sarkozy and 12 others to trial on charges that his 2007 presidential campaign received millions in illegal financing from the government of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi.

After a decade of investigation, the financial prosecutor’s office announced its decision today to seek a trial. 

Mr Sarkozy is charged with illegal campaign financing, embezzling, passive corruption and related counts.

Mr Sarkozy has been under investigation in the Libya case since 2013.

Investigators examined claims that Colonel Gadaffi’s government secretly gave Mr Sarkozy €50 million (£40m) to help him win the 2007 campaign. 

The sum would be more than double the legal limit at the time — €21m (£17m) — and would violate French rules against foreign campaign financing.

In an unrelated case, Mr Sarkozy was sentenced to a year of house arrest for the illegal campaign financing of his unsuccessful 2012 re-election bid. He is free while the case is pending appeal.

The former president has also been found guilty of corruption and influence-peddling in another case and sentenced to a year in prison. A decision on his appeal is expected soon.

The former president denies wrongdoing in all cases.