Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a long-running case tied to allegations of illicit campaign funds from the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
The Paris criminal court announced the verdict on Thursday, acquitting Sarkozy of charges of passive corruption and illegal campaign financing but ruling that he conspired with close aides to seek financial backing from Libyan officials for his 2007 presidential campaign.
A Historic and Humiliating Blow
The 70-year-old leader, who served as president between 2007 and 2012, becomes the first former French head of state ordered to serve time in prison following a conviction. Gasps were heard in the courtroom as Judge Nathalie Gavarino read out the sentence, which includes a €100,000 ($117,000) fine.
Sarkozy reacted with defiance, saying the decision was “extremely serious for the rule of law” and vowing to appeal.
“If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high,” Sarkozy declared outside the courthouse.
French prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign received up to €50 million (£43m) in cash from Gaddafi’s regime in exchange for helping Libya improve its international image. Testimony from Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, in 2011 and further claims by Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine in 2014 fueled the investigation.
While the court determined there wasn’t enough evidence to prove Sarkozy personally received or benefited from the alleged payments, it ruled that he conspired with aides to solicit Libyan support.
A String of Legal Battles
This ruling is the latest in a series of damaging legal cases for Sarkozy since leaving office:
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In 2021, he was convicted of attempting to bribe a judge and influence a court case, making him the first former French president to be handed a custodial sentence.
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In February 2024, he was sentenced to one year, including six months suspended, for overspending during his 2012 re-election campaign and covering it up through a PR firm. He is appealing that decision.
Other figures implicated in the Libya case include former French interior ministers Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux, both found guilty of corruption-related charges. Sarkozy’s wife, singer and former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, has also been charged in connection with hiding evidence, allegations she denies.
With this latest ruling, Sarkozy could be sent to prison in Paris in the coming days despite his appeal. His legal team argues the case is politically motivated, while prosecutors insist the conviction reflects France’s commitment to holding even the most powerful figures accountable.
For Sarkozy, once seen as a dominant figure in French politics, the verdict marks another dramatic fall from grace — and a historic moment in France’s judicial system.
