Libyan financing: Nicolas Sarkozy found guilty of criminal conspiracy

The former French president was found guilty of criminal conspiracy (association de malfaiteurs), but was acquitted of passive corruption and concealing embezzlement of public funds. This decision brings to an end a legal process that lasted more than ten years.

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office had sought a sentence of seven years in prison and €300,000 in fines against Nicolas Sarkozy, the heaviest sentence among the 12 defendants tried. The other sentences sought ranged from one to six years in prison. The court did not follow those requests, limiting itself to the conviction for criminal conspiracy.

The case, made public in 2011 by the investigative site Mediapart, concerned allegations that the regime of Mouammar Kadhafi financed Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign in exchange for diplomatic favors.

Documents, including a memo from Libyan intelligence services, suggested financing of €50 million. The main witness, businessman Ziad Takieddine, initially claimed to have delivered cash to Sarkozy, but later retracted his statements.

Besides Nicolas Sarkozy, several of his former aides were tried. Claude Guéant, former Interior Minister, was found guilty of forgery and aggravated money laundering, influence peddling, passive corruption and criminal conspiracy. Brice Hortefeux, a former minister, was also convicted of criminal conspiracy.

This conviction comes as Nicolas Sarkozy faces other legal proceedings, notably for corruption and illegal campaign financing. He was already stripped of the Légion d’honneur in 2025. The former president announced his intention to appeal the decision.