Overview

• The Paris criminal court convicted Nicolas Sarkozy of association de malfaiteurs and acquitted him of corruption, illicit campaign financing and receiving embezzled Libyan funds.
• Judges attached a mandat de dépôt à effet différé with exécution provisoire, requiring incarceration before the appeal; he may seek release upon entry to custody and the Paris appeals court has up to two months to rule on such a request.
• The Parquet national financier has called Sarkozy for 13 October to notify the start date and place of detention, which must be set within the following months under the order.
• Co‑defendants were also sentenced, including Claude Guéant to six years (with findings of passive corruption and forgery) and Brice Hortefeux to two years, while Éric Woerth was acquitted.
• The court cited “exceptional gravity,” saying Sarkozy allowed close allies to solicit Libyan authorities for potential support, a preparatory conduct sufficient for the offense, as political figures on the right criticized the use of provisional enforcement.