Sarkozy has already been definitively convicted of bribing a judge in a separate case,and of illegal campaign funding in another one.

Carla Bruni,is,meanwhile,accused of being part of a £4million campaign dubbed ‘Operation Save Sarko’ – a complex and illegal plan to try to keep her husband out of jail.

She has been charged with a range of corruption offences,including ‘witness tampering in an organised gang’,and could be imprisoned for a up to 10 years if found guilty in a separate trial.

Like her husband,Ms Bruni denies any wrongdoing.

Sarkozy has also been forced to wear an electronic tag,while under house arrest,but has never done any cell time.

Jean-François Bohnert,head of France’s National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) said a 10 year investigation led to Sarkozy appearing in the 32nd chamber of the Paris Criminal Court over the Gaddafi allegations.

‘The corruption pact was designed to improve relations with Libya,’ said Mr Bohnert.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (R) and Libyan leader Gaddafi pose during the signature of 10 billion euros of trade contracts between the two countries

(Picture: AFP)

The PNF alleged that Sarkozy first requested financing during a visit to Libya when he was France’s Interior Minister in 2005.

Within a few months of his election in 2007,Sarkozy invited Gaddafi to Paris for a state visit and praised him as a great friend and ‘Brother Leader’.

This was while Libya was still being viewed as a pariah state because of the Lockerbie bombing.

The assassination of WPC Yvonne Fletcher outside Libya’s London Embassy in 1984 was also still causing outrage,especially as no-one was ever brought to justice for it.

Gaffafi’s head of military security and brother-in-law,Abdallah Senoussi,had also been found guilty in absentia of an attack of a French DC-10 plane which left 170 dead.

The financing case was aided by the Mediapart investigative news site,which in 2012 published a document signed by Libya’s intelligence chief which apparently proved the equivalent of £42million had been paid to Sarkozy.

Sarkozy insisted that the contract was a fake,but it was later ruled it can be used as evidence.

Carla Bruni-Sarkoz is accused of being part of a £4million campaign dubbed ‘Operation Save Sarko (Picture: REUTERS)

It was in 2011 that RAF and French Air Force jets led the mass bombing campaign that ended with Gaddafi being hacked to death by a mob.

David Cameron was British Prime Minister at the time,and visited Libya with Sarkozy.

There have been claims that Sarkozy wanted his old ally Gaddafi dead because of his potential to produce incriminating evidence.

Sarkozy has already become France’s first ex-president to be tried for alleged crimes carried out in office.

Sarkozy’s conservative predecessor as President of France,the late Jacques Chirac,received a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for corruption,but this related to his time as Mayor of Paris.

The last French head of state to go to a prison cell was Marshall Philippe Pétain,the wartime Nazi collaborator.