Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted of cr+minal conspiracy by a Paris court, which ruled he was part of a group that “prepared a corr¥ption offence between 2005 and 2007.” The case revolved around allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally bankrolled by the regime of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The 70-year-old politician was sentenced to five years in prison, fined €100,000, and barred from holding public office for five years. His sentence comes “with deferred effect,” meaning he won’t be jailed immediately, but prosecutors are required to summon him within a month to notify him of his imprisonment date. Authorities also clarified that “any appeal will not suspend this security measure.”
Although Sarkozy was acquitted of passive corr¥ption, embezzlement of Libyan public funds, and illegal campaign financing, the verdict marks the first time a former French head of state has been convicted of such a serious crime. Prosecutors pointed to his 2005 trips to Tripoli, offshore transactions, and documents referencing payments “for Sarkozy.” They also raised suspicion over the mysterious death of a Libyan oil minister tied to the case.
Sarkozy has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, insisting there is “not a shred of proof” linking him to Gaddafi’s money, while his legal team argues the case rests on unreliable documents and testimony.
This ruling adds to his mounting legal troubles, including convictions in the “Bygmalion affair” over excessive 2012 campaign spending and the “Bismuth case” involving influence peddling. Earlier this year, he served part of a sentence with an electronic ankle bracelet—an unprecedented punishment for a French leader. Sarkozy has since appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.
