[3] Bashir spent Libya's oil money solely for the Gaddafi family, buying up hotels, mineral resources and shares in companies, eventually becoming what some Libyan officials and financial experts describe as one of the largest single investors in Africa.
In 2013, his wife Kafa Kachour was sentenced to two years in prison (one suspended) and a $150,000 euro fine for "domestic slavery" by a court in Lyon.
[5] After the 1969 Libyan coup d'état brought Gaddafi to power, Saleh joined the Arab Socialist Union and quickly rose through the ranks.
[6] From 1976 to 1979, Saleh served as ambassador to the Central African Republic, where he forged a strong relationship with Jean-Bédel Bokassa and learned to speak French.
In 1977, Saleh played a leading role in securing the release of French archaeologist Françoise Claustre and her husband, who had been kidnapped by Hissène Habré.
Saleh ran several missions on behalf of Gaddafi during the First Libyan Civil War due to his close ties to France and Françafrique.
Saleh then embarked on a mission with former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin to negotiate a safe exit for Gaddafi.
During his house arrest, Saleh worked his extensive network by calling Amadou Toumani Touré, Mahamadou Issoufou, Blaise Compaoré, Denis Sassou Nguesso, Jacob Zuma, and Abdoulaye Wade to lobby for his freedom.
On 13 November 2011, the chairman of the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, ordered Saleh's release after the intervention of France and South Africa.
In late November 2011, Saleh boarded a Swiss private jet registered to French businessman Alexandre Djouhri and flew to France.
[12] On March 15, 2012, Niger claimed that his diplomatic passport was rescinded in order to defuse tensions with the new Libyan government.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon claimed that Bashir's diplomatic passport from Niger was still valid.
[1] On November 24, 2021, the Libyan High Electoral Commission (HNEC) invalidated Bashir Saleh's presidential candidacy.