A Paris court has sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison after finding him guilty of accepting illegal campaign financing from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The ruling marks a dramatic fall for the 70-year-old conservative politician, once a dominant figure in French and European politics.
The court concluded that Sarkozy entered into a covert arrangement with Gaddafi while serving as France&rsquo;s interior minister in 2005. In exchange for political support and a platform on the international stage, prosecutors alleged that Gaddafi funnelled millions of euros into Sarkozy&rsquo;s 2007 presidential campaign.
Sarkozy, who has consistently denied the allegations, was also ordered to pay a fine of &euro;100,000. The judges imposed a five-year ban on holding public office, underlining the seriousness of the offence. He was cleared of three other charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealing the embezzlement of public funds.
The courtroom was packed as Sarkozy appeared alongside his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and his three sons. Sitting at the front of the defendants&rsquo; bench, he listened as the lengthy ruling was delivered. His allies Claude Gu&eacute;ant and Brice Hortefeux also faced sentencing, receiving six and two years respectively.
The case stems from claims that Sarkozy&rsquo;s campaign secretly received up to &euro;5 million in cash from Tripoli. Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, once a central accuser, had alleged he personally delivered bags of cash to Sarkozy&rsquo;s team in 2006 and 2007. His subsequent retraction and contradictory statements cast confusion over the trial, and his death this week in Beirut from cardiac arrest added further intrigue.
Sarkozy, president of France between 2007 and 2012, has already been convicted in two separate corruption cases. His reputation has been further tarnished by being stripped of France&rsquo;s highest honour.
For investigators, the heart of the case was whether Sarkozy struck a deal with Gaddafi to buy influence and legitimacy for Libya in exchange for financial backing. At the time, Gaddafi&rsquo;s regime was ostracised for its role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and other attacks. Ironically, just years later, Sarkozy played a leading role in NATO&rsquo;s 2011 intervention that ended Gaddafi&rsquo;s rule.
Thursday&rsquo;s judgement closes one of France&rsquo;s most politically explosive trials in decades, though appeals are expected. For Sarkozy, once seen as the energetic moderniser of French conservatism, the sentence cements a legacy overshadowed by scandal.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced over illicit Gaddafi campaign funds

Sarkozy jailed five years in Libya funds case

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced over illicit Gaddafi campaign funds

September 25, 2025 | 22:45 IST