Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty today by a Paris court on the charge of criminal conspiracy in connection with the alleged illegal financing of his successful 2007 presidential campaign with cash from the regime of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
The verdict, delivered after a highly publicised three-month trial, marks a significant moment in French political history and adds to the string of legal troubles that have plagued the 70-year-old former leader since he left office in 2012.
Partial Guilt, Full Political Fallout
While the Paris Criminal Court acquitted Sarkozy of several other major charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealment of the embezzlement of public funds, the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy represents a major judicial victory for the prosecution.
The court’s ruling, as read by Judge Nathalie Gavarino, concluded that Sarkozy, while serving as a minister and party leader at the time, “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters over whom he had authority and who acted in his name” to approach the Libyan authorities “in order to obtain or attempt to obtain financial support.”
The verdict suggests the court believes Sarkozy’s inner circle conspired to seek the illicit foreign funding, though the judges stopped short of concluding that the former president was the direct beneficiary of the alleged illegal campaign financing.
The Case and the ‘Corruption Pact’
The case stems from accusations, which first surfaced in 2011, that the Gaddafi regime secretly funneled millions of euros into Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign. Prosecutors had alleged the existence of a “corruption pact” forged in 2005, claiming that in exchange for the illegal funds, the Libyan regime requested diplomatic favours and the rehabilitation of Gaddafi’s international image.
The trial involved 11 co-defendants, including Sarkozy’s former right-hand man and later Interior Minister, Claude Guéant, and former minister Brice Hortefeux, both of whom were also convicted of criminal conspiracy on Thursday.
The prosecution had requested a seven-year prison sentence for Sarkozy. The court is expected to announce the final sentence later today.
The Former President’s Response
Nicolas Sarkozy, who was present in court with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, throughout the proceedings, has consistently denied all wrongdoing, denouncing the allegations as a “plot” orchestrated by “liars and crooks” from the Gaddafi clan. He is expected to immediately appeal the guilty verdict, a move that would suspend any sentence pending the appeal process.
This is the third legal conviction for Sarkozy. He has previously been found guilty of corruption and influence peddling (for which he served part of a sentence with an electronic tag) and for illegal campaign financing in his 2012 re-election bid.
The conviction, despite the acquittals on other counts, sends a powerful message about the accountability of high-ranking political figures and is widely viewed as the final blow to any hope Sarkozy may have held for a formal return to frontline French politics.
