French former president Nicolas Sarkozy has launched a combative defense of his legacy at the Paris appeals court, insisting that he never took money from Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to fund his 2007 presidential campaign.

Facing a three-judge panel, Sarkozy declared that “not a single cent from Libya” entered his campaign coffers and said he owed “the truth to the French people.” The former head of state, who spent 20 days in prison after his conviction before being released pending appeal, repeated his central claim: “I’m innocent.”

Sarkozy, 71, is appealing a conviction for criminal conspiracy linked to an alleged covert financing scheme involving the Gadhafi regime. Prosecutors say his entourage sought millions in illicit funds in exchange for political and diplomatic favors, including help easing international pressure on Libya.

The appeal trial, set to run for weeks, is reexamining evidence and testimony against Sarkozy and nine co-defendants, among them three former ministers. The court is scrutinizing contacts between Sarkozy’s inner circle and Libyan officials, including trips to Tripoli in 2005 by his then chief of staff Claude Guéant and junior minister Brice Hortefeux, where they met intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi.

Financial prosecutors allege Sarkozy signaled willingness to help lift an arrest warrant targeting al-Senoussi, accused of orchestrating the 1989 bombing of UTA flight 772 over Niger, which killed 170 people, including 54 French nationals. Libya had already accepted responsibility for that attack and the 1988 Lockerbie bombing as part of earlier international negotiations.

Sarkozy rejected any suggestion of a quid pro quo, arguing that al-Senoussi remains imprisoned in Libya as a result of international action that France helped lead. “The truth is that I did not act in favor of Mr. Senoussi. I never promised him anything,” he told the court.

He also pointed to his role in pushing for Western military intervention against Gadhafi in 2011, when Libyan forces brutally repressed Arab Spring protests. “I took the initiative, France took the initiative. Why? Because Gadhafi had no hold over me — financially, politically or personally,” he said.

Visibly irritated at times, Sarkozy questioned the logic of the accusations, asking why he would have chosen a leader he “had never met before” to arrange a secret financing deal during a brief meeting. His wife, singer and former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, watched from the courtroom as lawyers for civil parties insisted that key inconsistencies in the case remain unanswered and must now be addressed by the former president himself.