Overview

• Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison by the Paris criminal court with a deferred committal order and exécution provisoire, meaning his appeal will not prevent near-term incarceration.
• He maintains his innocence and has filed an appeal, but the non‑suspensive nature of the ruling makes him the first former French head of state set to serve time in prison.
• The court acquitted him of receiving misappropriated Libyan public funds, passive corruption, and illegal campaign financing, relying instead on the preparatory‑acts offense of association de malfaiteurs.
• Co‑defendants were also sentenced: Claude Guéant received six years (including for passive corruption and forgery) and Brice Hortefeux two years, while former campaign treasurer Éric Woerth was acquitted.
• Political fallout intensified as figures on the right and the Rassemblement National attacked the use of exécution provisoire and some urged a presidential pardon, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu expressed personal support but declined to question the judiciary and noted any legal debate belongs in Parliament.