Paris court sentences Nicolas Sarkozy to 5 years in prison for criminal conspiracy in Libya case

A Paris court on Thursday sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison after convicting him of criminal conspiracy for allegedly funding his 2007 presidential campaign with money from Libya — a verdict the conservative ex-leader condemned as “a scandal.”

The ruling marks the first time in modern French history that a former president has been ordered to serve actual prison time. In an unexpected decision, the court said the 70-year-old must serve his sentence even though he plans to appeal. His imprisonment will begin at a later date, sparing him the immediate humiliation of being escorted from the courtroom in handcuffs.

Judges concluded that from 2005 to 2007, while serving as interior minister, Sarkozy conspired to secure Libyan money in return for diplomatic favors to support his successful 2007 campaign. He was acquitted, however, of three other charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealing embezzlement.

Denouncing the verdict as disgraceful for the nation, Sarkozy insisted on his innocence. “If they want me to sleep in prison, I will, but with my head held high. This injustice is a scandal,” he said, standing beside his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. He added, “What they humiliated today is France.”

Chief judge Nathalie Gavarino said the conspiracy’s purpose was to give Sarkozy an advantage in the election and to pave the way for corruption at the highest level if he became president. She called the case “exceptionally serious,” undermining public trust in institutions, and noted Sarkozy had used his ministerial role to prepare for corruption.

Sarkozy downplayed the plot as “an idea,” arguing he was convicted merely for allegedly allowing aides to pursue the notion of illegal campaign funding.

Two of Sarkozy’s close allies, former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also found guilty of criminal association. Hortefeux was sentenced to two years but will serve the term under electronic monitoring, while Guéant received six years but was not jailed immediately due to health issues.

The court found both men had met secretly in 2005 with Abdullah al-Senoussi, intelligence chief and brother-in-law of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was killed in 2011. Senoussi is infamous for masterminding the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and a 1989 airliner attack over Niger.

Judges described these contacts as a “corruption pact,” noting that Sarkozy and his allies discussed Libya’s nuclear ambitions, diplomatic rehabilitation, and Senoussi’s judicial fate. While the court could not prove Libyan funds actually financed the campaign, it emphasized that under French law, a corrupt arrangement remains criminal even without money changing hands.

Sarkozy, who won the presidency in 2007 but lost reelection in 2012, has faced several scandals yet still wields influence in right-wing politics and enjoys public visibility through his marriage to Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Allegations of Libyan financing first surfaced in 2011, when Gadhafi and Libyan media claimed millions of euros were secretly funneled into his campaign. In 2012, investigative outlet Mediapart published a Libyan intelligence memo referencing a €50 million deal, which Sarkozy dismissed as a fake and challenged in court.