Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with illicit campaign funding allegedly received from late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Judge Nathalie Gavarino held that Sarkozy allowed close associates to solicit millions of euros from Gaddafi’s regime to finance his 2007 presidential campaign.
The Paris criminal court, however, acquitted him of passive corruption and illegal campaign financing, citing insufficient evidence that he personally received the funds. Alongside the custodial sentence, the 70-year-old ex-president was fined €100,000 (£87,000).
Gasps filled the courtroom as the ruling was delivered, marking the first time a former French president has been sentenced to prison.
Reacting to the decision, Sarkozy described the verdict as politically motivated and confirmed plans to appeal.
“What happened today is of extreme gravity for the rule of law,” he told reporters. “If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high.”
The case dates back to 2013, following allegations by Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, who claimed Sarkozy accepted millions from his father to bankroll the 2007 campaign. Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine later asserted he had evidence showing €50m (£43m) was funneled from Tripoli to Paris.
Several Sarkozy allies were also convicted. Former interior minister Claude Guéant was found guilty of corruption, while ex-minister Brice Hortefeux was convicted of criminal conspiracy. Sarkozy’s wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, faces separate charges of concealing evidence and fraud, which she denies.
This is not Sarkozy’s first brush with the law. In 2021, he was convicted of attempting to bribe a judge, and in 2024, he received a partly suspended one-year sentence for overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign.
The latest ruling poses the strongest legal setback yet for the former French leader and opens the door to the possibility of him serving actual prison time in Paris.
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