Sarkozy Convicted of Criminal Conspiracy in Libya Funding Case

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A Paris court on Thursday convicted former French president Nicolas Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy in a long-running case over alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign, while acquitting him of corruption and illegal campaign financing charges.

The 70-year-old, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has consistently denied wrongdoing. The ruling adds to a series of legal troubles for Sarkozy, who has already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s highest honour, the Legion of Honour.

Presiding judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy, then serving as minister and party leader, had “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters over whom he had authority and who acted in his name” to approach Libyan officials in pursuit of financial backing.

However, the court stopped short of finding Sarkozy himself the direct beneficiary of illicit funds. He was cleared of charges of embezzlement of Libyan public money, passive corruption, and illegal campaign financing.

Prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison term, with sentencing due later in the hearing. Sarkozy attended court for the verdict alongside his wife, singer and former model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Two of his former aides were also convicted: ex-chief of staff Claude Gueant for passive corruption and falsification, and former minister Brice Hortefeux for criminal conspiracy. By contrast, Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was acquitted.

The verdict came just two days after the death in Beirut of Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman and key accuser in the case. Takieddine had claimed to have delivered up to €5 million in cash from Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi to Sarkozy’s circle, only to later retract — and then contradict — his statements, sparking a separate witness-tampering probe implicating Sarkozy and his wife.

Prosecutors argued Sarkozy struck a deal with Kadhafi in 2005 to secure funding for his presidential run in exchange for helping the Libyan leader restore his international standing. Evidence presented included testimony from former Libyan officials, records of trips by Sarkozy’s aides to Tripoli, financial transfers, and the notebooks of ex-oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who was found drowned in Vienna in 2012.

Sarkozy, once dubbed France’s “hyper-president,” has faced a string of legal challenges since leaving office, including convictions for graft and illegal campaign financing in the “Bygmalion affair.” He has appealed both verdicts.

Despite his legal setbacks, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French right and is known to maintain regular contact with President Emmanuel Macron.