Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to five years in jail for illicit financing case

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case involving alleged illicit funds from Libya.

25 sept 2025 - 11:29 • 3 min read

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after a Paris court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case concerning millions of euros in alleged illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The Paris criminal court acquitted Sarkozy, 70, of charges including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. Prosecutors had accused Sarkozy of using funds from Gaddafi to finance his 2007 presidential campaign, alleging that in return, he promised to help Gaddafi improve his image with Western countries.

However, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove Sarkozy directly benefited from illegal campaign financing. Judge Nathalie Gavarino stated that Sarkozy had permitted close aides to contact Libyan officials regarding financial support for his campaign.

Sarkozy, who has maintained the case is politically motivated, will serve time in jail even if he appeals the ruling. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 euros.

The investigation into the allegations began in 2013, following accusations by Saif al-Islam, son of the former Libyan leader, that Sarkozy had received millions of dollars. Later, Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who acted as an intermediary, claimed to have proof that Sarkozy's 2007 campaign was extensively financed by Tripoli, with payments continuing even after Sarkozy became president.

Among those also accused in the trial were former interior ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux. Guéant was found guilty of corruption, among other charges, while Hortefeux was convicted of criminal conspiracy.

Sarkozy's wife, former supermodel and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, was charged last year with hiding evidence related to the Gaddafi case and associating with wrongdoers to commit fraud, charges she denies.

This is the latest in a series of legal challenges for Sarkozy since he lost his re-election bid in 2012. He is currently appealing a February 2024 ruling that found him guilty of overspending on his 2012 re-election campaign and subsequently hiring a public relations firm to conceal the overspending. He had been sentenced to one year in jail, with six months suspended, in that case.

In 2021, Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to bribe a judge in 2014, becoming the first former French president to receive a custodial sentence. The Paris appeals court later ruled in December that he could serve this sentence at home with an electronic tag.

Ziad Takieddine, who was due to appear in court as one of the accused, died two days prior to the sentencing, having fled to Lebanon after being convicted in a separate corruption case.