Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy could face up to 10 years in prison as a Paris court prepares to deliver its verdict Thursday on accusations that he secretly accepted millions from Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to fund his 2007 election campaign. Prosecutors have asked for a seven-year sentence, while Sarkozy, 70, has denied all charges, calling the case a political “plot.” If convicted, he would be the first French leader found guilty of taking illegal foreign funds to win office.
The trial, which lasted three months, examined evidence including alleged cash deliveries from Libya, a disputed 50 million-euro intelligence memo, and witness statements later retracted. Sarkozy and 11 co-defendants including former ministers were charged with corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzled public funds, and criminal association. The case, first sparked in 2011 when Gadhafi himself claimed to have backed Sarkozy, has haunted the former president for over a decade. It is also tied to a separate investigation into possible witness tampering involving Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted twice—in 2021 for corruption and influence peddling, and in 2024 for overspending in his failed 2012 re-election campaign. Both cases are under appeal. Despite mounting scandals and even being stripped of France’s Legion of Honor medal, Sarkozy remains a powerful figure in French right-wing politics and high society.
