By Aisha Muhammad Magaji
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty of corruption and illegal campaign financing in connection with allegations that he received millions of euros from the regime of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 presidential campaign.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by a Paris court, marks a historic moment in French politics as Sarkozy becomes the first former head of state in modern French history to be convicted of receiving foreign funds to secure electoral victory.
French prosecutors argued that Sarkozy’s campaign benefited from as much as €50 million in illicit financing, funneled from Tripoli through intermediaries and clandestine transfers. The figure far exceeded the legal campaign spending limit in France at the time.
According to investigators, evidence included cash movements, testimonies from former Libyan officials, and financial documents pointing to the Gaddafi regime’s direct involvement.
“The court has established beyond reasonable doubt that funds originating from Libya were illegally channeled into Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign, compromising the integrity of the electoral process,” the presiding judge declared.
The 70-year-old former president was handed a three-year prison sentence, two of which were suspended. The court ordered that the remaining year be served under house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet, rather than in jail, due to his age and health concerns.
Sarkozy has consistently denied wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as politically motivated. His lawyers immediately announced plans to appeal the verdict, describing the ruling as a “judicial error that undermines democracy.”
The verdict has triggered shockwaves in France and beyond. Critics argue the conviction exposes deep-rooted corruption in French politics, while supporters of Sarkozy see it as a politically driven attempt to tarnish his legacy.
In Paris, opposition lawmakers called for sweeping reforms to tighten campaign financing laws and restore public confidence in the political system. “This ruling is a wake-up call,” said Socialist MP Julien Bayou. “No one, not even a president, is above the law.”
Libyan officials who testified in the case described the payments as part of Gaddafi’s strategy to influence European leaders and secure legitimacy on the international stage.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, had been attempting a quiet political comeback in recent years, often weighing in on French and European affairs. The conviction now casts a long shadow over his legacy and makes any return to frontline politics unlikely.
Analysts note that the case highlights the risks of foreign interference in democratic elections an issue resonating globally amid concerns about political financing and external influence.
The trial is also being closely watched in Africa, where Gaddafi’s regime once wielded significant influence through petrodollars and political patronage. For many, Sarkozy’s downfall is seen as a delayed consequence of Europe’s entanglement with Libya’s former ruler.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have welcomed the ruling as a sign that accountability can reach even the most powerful figures. “This is justice catching up with a president who thought he was untouchable,” Amnesty International’s French chapter said in a statement.
Sarkozy’s appeal is expected to move to a higher French court in 2026. Legal experts say the process could take years, potentially keeping the scandal alive well into the next French election cycle.
Until then, the former president remains a convicted felon a rare and dramatic fall for a man once seen as the face of France’s global diplomacy.
