by Olesya Orlenko
[REGNUM] On September 25, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted and sentenced to a prison term. The judges' decision sparked widespread public outcry and raised doubts about the functioning of the justice system. What exactly was the defendant found guilty of, and what are the potential consequences of this case for French society?
This latest case specifically concerned accusations against Nicolas Sarkozy that he received funding for his 2007 election campaign from Libya. This agreement was allegedly reached in 2005 during an official visit to Libya by a French delegation led by Sarkozy, who served in the government under President Jacques Chirac.
The investigation into this case began after the scandalous publication in Mediapart of a document signed by Libyan politician Moussa Mohammed Koussa, who served as head of intelligence in 2005 and was part of Muammar Gaddafi's inner circle. The memo stated the Libyan leader's agreement to allocate €50 million to presidential candidate Sarkozy. The publication presented this as proof of receipt of Libyan funds.
In return, Sarkozy is believed to have promised to help improve the image of Gaddafi and his brother-in-law, Abdullah Senussi, on the international stage.
After 12 years of investigation, the trial began in January 2025. During this time, several defendants who could have provided crucial testimony passed away. One of them died two days before the verdict. This was businessman Ziad Takeddine, who is suspected of transferring part of the money to France in cash.
Along with Sarkozy, his associates and colleagues, Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also accused. They were suspected of organizing a deal with the Libyan authorities and of laundering the proceeds in France.
According to the verdict, Sarkozy is found guilty of "creating a criminal organization with the intent to commit a crime punishable by ten years' imprisonment." However, the court noted that it could not "incontrovertibly prove" that the Libyan funds financed his election campaign, nor even that "the amount of cash exceeded €35,000." The former president must now pay a fine of €100,000 and spend five years in prison.
Sarkozy denies all charges.
According to his lawyers, if a financing agreement was signed between his associates and the Libyan side, he was unaware of it. Moreover, the court found that the funds in question were not used to enrich the defendant or his family members.
The former president immediately stated that he intends to defend his good name by filing an appeal, and also refuses in advance a possible pardon that Emmanuel Macron could grant him.
Meanwhile, this is far from the first case in France when government officials and even heads of state have received court sentences.
The first president to be convicted was Chirac, who was found guilty of embezzling public funds in 2011.
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In 2018, Jérôme Cahuzac, former budget minister under President François Hollande, was convicted of tax evasion and money laundering. And in 2024, François Fillon, former prime minister and Macron's rival in the 2017 presidential election, was convicted of embezzling public funds by creating fictitious positions—the same charges for which Marine Le Pen was prosecuted.
And Nicolas Sarkozy himself is no stranger to being under investigation and sitting in the dock.
During the investigation into Libyan financing, law enforcement agencies secured the right to wiretap the former president's telephone conversations. It was then revealed that in 2014, Sarkozy had corrupted Gilbert Azibert, a lawyer at the Court of Cassation, in an attempt to obtain information from him about another case that raised the possibility of a Libyan financial connection in the 2007 campaign.
For this, Sarkozy received his first prison sentence, which was confirmed after several appeals in December 2024. But then the former president managed to limit himself to being stripped of his state awards and being ordered to wear an electronic bracelet.
In 2016, an investigation was launched into the "Bigmalion affair" regarding Sarkozy's exceeded spending limits for his second presidential campaign in 2012. He was accused of money laundering through checks issued by a company called "Bigmalion," which was linked to his party, the Union for a Popular Movement. The former head of state was then found guilty of illegally financing electoral campaigning activities.
Russia was not left out either.
Since 2021, the French judiciary has been attempting to establish the nature of the services provided by Sarkozy to the insurance company Reso-Garantia. If the court finds that lobbying for Russian interests took place, the world will witness new charges against the former president.
What is so special about the latest sentence handed down to Nicolas Sarkozy?
First, the prospect of actual imprisonment, regardless of whether an appeal is filed. Sarkozy would thus become the first French president to be jailed.
However, the second circumstance appears more serious.
Immediately after the verdict, voices began to be heard declaring that the judges' decision bore a striking resemblance to arbitrary conduct. This can be judged, for example, by the wording of the charges.
Journalists, politicians, and the public are also outraged by the fact that the documents published by Mediapart in the aforementioned article, as well as in a number of other publications on this case, are highly likely, and in some cases proven, to be fakes. Moreover, this publication has repeatedly been caught disseminating false information about the case, for which its employees have periodically been forced to publicly apologize.
All this gave rise to suspicions of bias in the judiciary.
The president of the court presiding over Sarkozy's trial began receiving threats, which many politicians, including President Macron, have spoken out against.
Meanwhile, a debate has erupted in French society over the independence of the judicial system. Some believe the existence of a special "judicial state" acting at its own discretion has become a fait accompli. Others believe that the lack of independence of justice officials allows the authorities to influence their decisions.
In any case, this is not the first time that the French have begun to notice disruptions in the functioning of the foundations of the republic, which previously seemed democratic.
Related:
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/27/2025 A key figure in the Sarkozy Libyan money case has died in Lebanon
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/26/2025 A Paris court sentences former President Sarkozy to five years in prison.
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/25/2025 France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy says 'I will sleep in prison with my head held high' as he is given five-year jail term in front of shocked Carla Bruni and rants about unfair justice
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/27/2025 A key figure in the Sarkozy Libyan money case has died in Lebanon
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/26/2025 A Paris court sentences former President Sarkozy to five years in prison.
Nicolas Sarkozy 09/25/2025 France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy says 'I will sleep in prison with my head held high' as he is given five-year jail term in front of shocked Carla Bruni and rants about unfair justice
Related:
Gaddafi 09/27/2025 A key figure in the Sarkozy Libyan money case has died in Lebanon
Gaddafi 09/26/2025 A Paris court sentences former President Sarkozy to five years in prison.
Gaddafi 09/25/2025 France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy says 'I will sleep in prison with my head held high' as he is given five-year jail term in front of shocked Carla Bruni and rants about unfair justice
Gaddafi 09/27/2025 A key figure in the Sarkozy Libyan money case has died in Lebanon
Gaddafi 09/26/2025 A Paris court sentences former President Sarkozy to five years in prison.
Gaddafi 09/25/2025 France's ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy says 'I will sleep in prison with my head held high' as he is given five-year jail term in front of shocked Carla Bruni and rants about unfair justice