Alain Minc

Nicolas Sarkozy, I know him since 1986. I've known Nicolas Sarkozy since 1986. That's 40 years, so I know him very well. We talked almost every day and saw each other about once a week. We talked about everything. Work, jokes, women, life, everything.

I asked Mank if he believed Sarkozy had taken money from Libya. Personally, I've never believed it. Not because I'm naive, but because if you are a politician on the French right, and you believe you need illicit money for an election campaign, you don't go to Gaddafi.

There were systems in place for this on the French right to get money from Africa. Sarkozy is an intelligent man. Why would he give himself problems by negotiating with a crazy tyrant? One of the central characters in the Sarkozy-Gaddafi case is this man Ziad Takidin. Did you know Ziad Takidin? No, je suis beaucoup trop snob.

What do you mean? I know there are people you shouldn't meet. Did you advise Nicolas Sarkozy to stay away from Zia Takidin? I often said to him that there are people you shouldn't meet, many times. Nicolas Sarkozy's mistake was keeping people around him who weren't reputable. I think there are people around him whom he should never have associated with.