Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after a Paris court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy linked to illicit campaign funds from the late Libyan leader, Col. Muammar Gaddafi. The ruling marks another dramatic chapter in the downfall of France’s one-time leader, who has faced a string of corruption scandals since leaving office.
The court, presided over by Judge Nathalie Gavarino, cleared Sarkozy of passive corruption and illegal campaign financing but concluded that he allowed his associates to engage with Libyan officials to secure financial backing for his 2007 campaign. While prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy received tens of millions of euros from Gaddafi in exchange for political favors, the court ruled there was not enough evidence to prove he personally benefited from the illicit funds.
Sarkozy, now 70, has denied all wrongdoing and insists the case is politically motivated. Despite his claims, he was handed a five-year sentence along with a €100,000 fine, with the court confirming that the punishment remains enforceable even if he appeals.
The case stems from a 2013 investigation triggered by explosive allegations from Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who claimed that Sarkozy accepted millions in campaign funds from his father. The accusations gained further weight when Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine came forward in 2014, saying he had documentary proof that Sarkozy’s campaign was heavily bankrolled by Tripoli, with alleged payments of up to €50 million continuing even after Sarkozy entered the Élysée Palace.
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Sarkozy’s inner circle was also drawn into the scandal. Former interior ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux stood trial, with Guéant convicted of corruption and related offenses while Hortefeux was found guilty of criminal conspiracy. His wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, faces her own legal troubles after being charged in 2024 with concealing evidence and colluding to commit fraud in the Gaddafi affair, charges she strongly denies.
This is not Sarkozy’s first conviction. In 2021, he was sentenced to prison for attempting to bribe a judge in 2014, making him the first former French president to receive a custodial sentence. He is also appealing a 2024 ruling that found him guilty of overspending during his failed 2012 re-election campaign and hiring a PR firm to cover it up, a verdict that earned him a one-year sentence, with six months suspended.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, now faces the prospect of serving time behind bars, though previous rulings have allowed him to serve sentences at home under electronic monitoring. Whether the same leniency will apply in the Libya case remains uncertain, but the conviction cements his place as one of the most legally embattled leaders in modern French history.
