Nicolas Sarkozy appeared in court on Monday as his appeal began against a conviction for criminal conspiracy linked to alleged Libyan campaign financing during his 2007 presidential run.
The former leader, who served as president of France from 2007 to 2012, was sentenced last year to five years in prison, briefly serving time at La Santé Prison before being released under judicial supervision.
Prosecutors say Sarkozy allowed close aides to seek funding from the government of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing and has long rejected accusations that his campaign accepted money from Libya.