Overview

• The Paris court convicted Nicolas Sarkozy of association de malfaiteurs for allowing close aides to seek Libyan funds in 2005–2007, calling the conduct of “exceptional gravity” and a preparation of corruption at the highest level.
• Judges issued a mandat de dépôt différé with exécution provisoire, and the national financial prosecutor has summoned him on 13 October to set incarceration modalities; Sarkozy proclaimed his innocence and filed an appeal that is not suspensive.
• The court acquitted him of corruption, unlawful campaign financing and receipt of embezzled Libyan public funds, citing insufficient proof that cash reached his 2007 campaign, while noting that preparatory acts suffice for the criminal association offense.
• Co-defendants were also judged: Claude Guéant received six years in prison including for corruption and forgery, Brice Hortefeux got two years, and former campaign treasurer Éric Woerth was acquitted.
• The decision triggered sharp political reactions in France, with right and far-right figures attacking provisional enforcement and some urging presidential clemency, as others lauded judicial independence, and foreign media highlighted the unprecedented prospect of a former French president going to prison.