Nicholas Sarkozy is jailed for five years over a case of conspiracy in Libya
A former French president who was convicted of criminal conspiracy involving Gaddafi finances vowed to appeal the “severe” verdict.
After being convicted of criminal conspiracy in a lengthy case involving illegal campaign finance from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was given a five-year prison sentence.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino claimed in her verdict on Wednesday that Sarkozy had let close associates to ask Gaddafi’s government for millions of euros in order to finance his 2007 presidential campaign.
He was exonerated of passive corruption and unlawful campaign financing, however, by the Paris criminal court, which decided that there was not enough proof to establish that he profited directly from the money.
The 70-year-old, who served as France’s leader from 2007 to 2012, was also fined €100,000 (£87,000). The courtroom was filled with gasps when the sentence was pronounced; this is the first time a former French president has been sentenced to prison.
Sarkozy promised to file an appeal and denounced the decision as politically motivated while addressing media outside the court. He declared, “Today’s events are extremely serious for the rule of law.” “If they insist on me sleeping in jail, I will do so, but I will do it with my head held high.”
After Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam claimed that Sarkozy had embezzled millions from his father to fund the 2007 campaign, the investigation was started in 2013. After Sarkozy won government, Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine subsequently claimed to have evidence that €50 million (£43 million) was still flowing from Tripoli to Paris.
Additionally, a number of Sarkozy’s supporters were implicated. Claude Gueant, the former interior minister, was found guilty of corruption, and Brice Hortefeux was found guilty of criminal conspiracy. Italian-born singer and former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Sarkozy’s wife, is also charged with fraud and evidence concealment, both of which she disputes.
After he left government, Sarkozy has been involved in several court cases. For overspending on his unsuccessful 2012 reelection campaign, he received a one-year sentence in February 2024, with a portion of it suspended. He became the first former president to be sentenced to prison time in 2021 after being found guilty of trying to bribe a court, however he was let to serve his time at home with an electronic tag.
A man who has repeatedly argued his innocence has suffered a humiliating defeat with the most recent verdict, which also increases the likelihood that he will soon be serving real jail time in Paris.
