Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
The Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. The ruling means he will spend time in jail even if he launches an appeal, which Sarkozy says he intends to do.
Speaking after Thursday's hearing, the 70-year-old, who was president from 2007-12, stated that the verdict was extremely serious for rule of law.
Sarkozy, who claims the case is politically motivated, was accused of using the funds from Gaddafi to finance his 2007 election campaign. In exchange, it was alleged that Sarkozy promised to help Gaddafi improve his reputation with Western countries.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino noted that Sarkozy permitted close aides to engage with Libyan officials about securing financial support for his campaign, but there wasn’t enough evidence to prove he personally benefited from the illicit financing.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of €100,000 ($117,000, £87,000). The courtroom reaction was palpable when the judge delivered her decision, marking a historic and humiliating event for the former leader.
Sarkozy could face imprisonment in Paris soon, becoming the first former French president to do so in a scandal that has highlighted the precarious nature of political trust and legal integrity in France.
What happened today... is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system, he remarked, declaring, If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high.
The investigation commenced in 2013, sparked by allegations from Saif al-Islam, son of Gaddafi, claiming Sarkozy secured millions in campaign funding. A year later, Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine alleged that he had proof that Sarkozy's campaign was significantly funded by Libya post his election.
This trial also implicated Sarkozy's former interior ministers, Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux, both of whom were found guilty of various charges, with Gueant convicted of corruption.
Sarkozy's enduring legal complications began after he lost the presidency in 2012, facing multiple investigations, including a February 2024 ruling on illegal campaign expenditures, culminating in a custodial sentence for bribing a judge.
