Paris: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a trial related to alleged campaign funds from Libya. The Paris Criminal Court, however, acquitted the 70-year-old of charges of bribery, illegal campaign financing, and benefiting from the embezzlement of public funds. The sentence is not suspended and cannot be served at home under electronic surveillance.
According to Ghana News Agency, the court's decision was announced by Presiding Judge Nathalie Gavarino, who commented on the "extraordinary seriousness" of the offense. The case revolves around allegations that millions of euros were illegally funneled into Sarkozy's 2007 presidential campaign by the regime of former Libyan ruler Moamer Gaddafi. In 2016, a witness claimed to have delivered several suitcases containing a total of £5 million to the Paris Interior Ministry, led by Sarkozy at that time.
The court, however, found no evidence of illegal campaign financing from Libya, nor was the alleged delivery of cash verifiable. Despite this, the court stated that it believed Sarkozy attempted to obtain funds from Gaddafi. Alongside Sarkozy, 12 other individuals, including three former ministers, were charged in the extensive trial.
Sarkozy, who served as French president from 2007 to 2012, has consistently denied the allegations. Following the sentence, he announced plans to appeal, describing the verdict as an "injustice" and a "scandal." He expressed determination to fight the decision, stating, "I will fight until my last breath to prove my complete innocence."
The Paris court issued an arrest warrant for Sarkozy, though it is not immediately enforceable. The date of his imprisonment will be determined at a later summons. The court also ordered the provisional enforcement of the sentence, requiring Sarkozy to begin his prison term even if he appeals. A public prosecutor's office spokesman was unable to confirm whether Sarkozy could contest this aspect of the sentence.
Prosecutors had initially sought a seven-year prison sentence and a £300,000 fine for Sarkozy, citing potential quid pro quos for the alleged campaign financing, including Sarkozy's reception of Gaddafi with military honors in 2007 and efforts to lift an arrest warrant against Gaddafi's brother-in-law, Abdallah Senoussi. The trial followed over a decade of investigations initiated after claims by Gaddafi's family that they financed Sarkozy's campaign.
This is not Sarkozy's first legal battle. He was previously convicted in two other cases. In December 2024, he received a one-year sentence at home with electronic monitoring for corruption and influence peddling. In February 2024, an appeals court sentenced him to one year, with six months suspended, for excessive campaign expenses during his 2012 re-election bid, a decision Sarkozy also appealed.
