French Prosecutors Seek 7-Year Sentence for Sarkozy Over Alleged Libyan Campaign Funds

Prosecutors accuse the former president of accepting millions from Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 campaign in exchange for diplomatic and economic favors.

• French prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence, a €300,000 fine, and a five-year ban on Nicolas Sarkozy’s civic rights for allegedly accepting illegal campaign financing from Libya.
• Sarkozy is accused of receiving millions of euros from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2007 in exchange for strengthening diplomatic and business ties with Libya and reconsidering the case of Gaddafi’s brother-in-law Abdullah Senussi.
• The trial, which began in January 2025 and is set to conclude in April, represents the most serious of Sarkozy’s legal challenges, with a verdict expected later this year.
• Sarkozy has denied the allegations, claiming they are politically motivated and based on forged evidence, while maintaining his innocence in court.
• Several of Sarkozy’s former ministers, including Claude Guéant, Brice Hortefeux, and Éric Woerth, are also on trial for their alleged roles in the Libya funding scandal.

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