A Paris court on Thursday convicted former French president Nicolas Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy in his long-running trial over alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign but cleared him of corruption and illegal campaign financing.
Sarkozy, 70, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted in two other cases and stripped of the country’s highest honor. He denies any wrongdoing.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino ruled that Sarkozy, while serving as a minister and party leader, “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters over whom he had authority” to approach Libyan officials to seek financial support. However, the court said prosecutors failed to prove Sarkozy himself benefited from illegal funding.
Prosecutors had requested a seven-year prison sentence, with sentencing to be announced later. Sarkozy attended the hearing alongside his wife, model and musician Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.
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Two of his closest allies were also convicted: Claude Gueant, his former chief of staff, for passive corruption and falsification, and former minister Brice Hortefeux for criminal conspiracy. Campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was acquitted.
The ruling came just two days after the death of Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman who had accused Sarkozy of receiving up to €5 million in cash from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, before later retracting and then contradicting his statements.
The case is built on testimonies from former Libyan officials, records of trips to Libya by Sarkozy’s aides, suspicious financial transfers, and notes kept by former Libyan oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who was found dead in the Danube in 2012.
Sarkozy has faced multiple legal battles since leaving office, including convictions in a graft case and the “Bygmalion affair” over illegal campaign financing. He has appealed both. Beyond the courtroom, his reputation has also suffered, including losing the prestigious Legion of Honour.
Despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French right and maintains regular contact with President Emmanuel Macron.