Overview

• Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of association de malfaiteurs for allowing close aides to seek illicit Libyan support for his 2007 campaign, a conviction ordered with mandat de dépôt différé and exécution provisoire.
• Because the order makes his appeal non‑suspensive, the Parquet national financier will set the timing of his imprisonment at a 13 October convocation, with incarceration expected in the coming weeks.
• The court said preparatory acts by his entourage were sufficient to establish the offense even though it did not find proof that Libyan funds ultimately entered the campaign.
• Co‑defendants Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux received prison terms (six years and two years respectively), while former campaign treasurer Éric Woerth was acquitted.
• Right‑wing and far‑right figures attacked the use of exécution provisoire and floated a presidential pardon as Sarkozy maintained his innocence and vowed to appeal, while international media cast the ruling as unprecedented for France.