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Sarkozy Convicted of Criminal Association in Libya Funding Case, Cleared of Corruption

The ruling focuses on his responsibility for allies’ approaches to Libyan officials rather than proof that his 2007 campaign was illegally financed, with sentencing still to come.

Nicolas Sarkozy a été reconnu coupable d’association de malfaiteurs jeudi 25 septembre 2025, dans l’affaire du financement libyen de sa campagne de 2007.
(FILES) Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine speaks to media as he arrives at Paris courthouse on October 7, 2019 on the first day of the trial for the financial aspect of "the Karachi case", an alleged arms deal kickbacks said to have funded the 1995 presidential campaign of Edouard Balladur. Takieddine, the main accuser of Nicolas Sarkozy in the investigation into alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign, died on the morning of September 23, 2025, in Beirut, his French lawyer Elise Arfi told AFP, confirming a report in Le Point magazine. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP)
Nicolas Sarkozy au tribunal à Paris lors de son procès pour financement illégal de campagne, le 27 mars 2025
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Overview

  • Paris judges found Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of association de malfaiteurs for the 2005–2007 period but acquitted him of corruption, illegal campaign financing and receiving misappropriated Libyan funds.
  • The court said he allowed close aides to solicit financial support from the Kadhafi regime for his 2007 run, concluding he bore authority over those efforts.
  • Claude Guéant was convicted of association de malfaiteurs, passive corruption, influence peddling, forgery and aggravated money laundering, while Brice Hortefeux was found guilty of association de malfaiteurs.
  • Éric Woerth and two other defendants were acquitted, and proceedings against intermediary Ziad Takieddine were extinguished following his death this week in Beirut.
  • Sentences will be announced as the lengthy judgment is read, after prosecutors had sought seven years in prison, a €300,000 fine and five years of ineligibility, with appeals expected.