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Sarkozy Convicted of Criminal Conspiracy in Libya Case With Five-Year Prison Term

The Paris court ordered immediate enforcement of the sentence after concluding the case proved preparatory wrongdoing rather than the use of Libyan funds in the 2007 campaign.

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

  • Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of association de malfaiteurs and acquitted of corruption, handling of public funds and illegal campaign financing, with judges saying the evidence did not show Libyan money funded his 2007 run.
  • He received five years in prison with a deferred committal order and exécution provisoire, plus a €100,000 fine and five years of ineligibility and public office ban.
  • Claude Guéant was convicted of corruption passive and faux and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment without immediate custody; Brice Hortefeux was convicted of association de malfaiteurs and sentenced to two years under electronic monitoring and a €50,000 fine, while Éric Woerth was acquitted.
  • The tribunal extinguished proceedings against key intermediary Ziad Takieddine following his death in Beirut this week.
  • Sarkozy said he will appeal and maintained his innocence, stating he would go to prison “la tête haute,” as prosecutors had originally sought seven years and heavier penalties.