At 70, Sarkozy is convicted of receiving Gaddafi funds, denying charges in a trial with 11 co-defendants
Paris
A Paris court on Thursday found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in a high-profile case involving alleged illegal campaign financing from Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi. The court, however, acquitted him of charges of passive corruption, embezzlement of Libyan public funds, and illegal election financing.
The ruling concerns Sarkozy’s role in a group accused of orchestrating corruption between 2005 and 2007, during his successful bid for the 2007 presidency. Details of the sentence are yet to be announced, and Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, has the right to appeal, which would suspend any sentence pending review.
At 70, Sarkozy becomes the first former French president convicted of such a high-level offence. Prosecutors accused him of channeling millions from Gaddafi’s government into his campaign, an allegation Sarkozy denied throughout a three-month trial earlier this year. Eleven co-defendants, including three former ministers, were also implicated.
Earlier this year, Sarkozy strongly denied the claims, stating, “You will never find one Libyan euro, one Libyan cent in my campaign.” He alleged that the accusations were part of a plot by “groups of liars and crooks,” timed to follow his condemnation of Gaddafi.
The case originated in 2011 after a Libyan news agency claimed that Gaddafi’s regime had financed Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. That year, Sarkozy backed NATO’s military intervention in Libya amid pro-democracy protests, which led to Gaddafi’s death and the end of his 40-year rule.
The verdict marks a rare conviction of a former head of state, underscoring France’s commitment to accountability in public office.
