Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with allegations that his 2007 election campaign was secretly bankrolled by millions of euros from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The verdict, delivered Thursday by a Paris criminal court, marks a historic and humiliating moment: Sarkozy, 70, is the first former French head of state to face actual prison time.
He was, however, acquitted of charges of passive corruption and illegal campaign financing, with the court ruling there was insufficient evidence to prove he directly benefited from the illicit funds.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy had “allowed close aides” to pursue financial support from Libyan officials, though prosecutors alleged he went further — promising to rehabilitate Gaddafi’s global standing in return for money.
The ruling triggered audible gasps inside the courtroom. Sarkozy, who has denied all wrongdoing and branded the case politically motivated, immediately vowed to appeal. He was also ordered to pay a €100,000 fine ($117,000; £87,000).
“What happened today is of extreme gravity for the rule of law and for trust in justice,” Sarkozy told reporters outside court. “If they want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail — but with my head held high.”
The investigation began in 2013, after Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the Libyan leader, alleged Sarkozy had taken millions from his father. A year later, Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine claimed he had proof that Sarkozy’s campaign was “abundantly” funded by Tripoli, with payments totaling around €50 million (£43 million).
Several of Sarkozy’s former allies were also ensnared in the trial. Former interior minister Claude Guéant was convicted of corruption, while another ex-interior minister, Brice Hortefeux, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, faces separate charges of hiding evidence and associating with wrongdoers in the Gaddafi affair — allegations she denies.
This is not Sarkozy’s first brush with the law. He is already appealing a 2024 conviction for overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign, which earned him a one-year sentence (six months suspended).
In 2021, he was convicted of attempting to bribe a judge in 2014, becoming the first French ex-president handed a custodial sentence — though he served it at home under electronic monitoring.
With Thursday’s ruling, Sarkozy’s legal troubles intensify, and the shadow of the Gaddafi affair may yet define the legacy of one of France’s most polarizing leaders
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