October 3, 2025/Midnight
Erie, PA. – On Sept. 25, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007-2012, has been sentenced to five years imprisonment on the charge of criminal conspiracy, along with a fine of 100,000 euros (equivalent to 117,000 USD). According to the BBC, the charges came about after Sarkozy was found to have been garnering illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Initially opened in 2013 when Saif al-Islam Gaddafi accused the former of taking his father’s money, Sarkozy was said to have used these funds to finance his campaign in 2007 and in return help Gaddafi improve his reputation in western countries. As Judge Nathalie Gavarino states, “Sarkozy had allowed aides to contact Libyan officials with a view to obtaining financial support for his campaign.”
According to the AP, Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal association “in a plot from 2005 to 2007, when he served as interior minister, to finance his winning presidential campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favors.”
Sarkozy says he intends to launch an appeal, referring to the case as “a scandal,” but his sentencing means he will have to spend time in prison even if he does appeal. The former French president states, “If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high.”
Sarkozy also stated, “Should I appear in handcuffs before the Court of Appeals? Those who hate me this much, think it’s humiliating for me. What they humiliated today is France.” Sarkozy, along with his wife, have made it clear to the media that they believe his sentencing was an act of injustice.
Alongside Sarkozy, the court charged former ministers Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux with criminal association, with the former being sentenced to 6 years imprisonment, currently on hold due to health reasons, and the latter being sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with the possibility of serving the sentence at home under monitoring. The court said the two held secret meetings with former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi in 2005.
The court has stated that they haven’t been able to determine if the money did finance Sarkozy’s campaign, but that it would still be recognized as a crime.
In 2024, his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who is a former supermodel and singer from Italy, was charged with “hiding evidence linked to the Gaddafi case and associating with wrongdoers to commit fraud, both of which she denies.”
The former president has been targeted by multiple criminal investigations after losing his re-election bid in 2012, a year after Gaddafi’s assassination, then using a PR Firm to cover it up. In 2021, he was found to have attempted to bribe a judge in 2014 which made him the first French president to be served a custodial sentence.
According to France In English, there are a slew of opinions made by the French public. Some of those who are right-leaning theorize that his sentencing is a deliberate pattern of targeting right-leaning politicians in France. The article states, “One individual who identifies as a leftist commented, ‘I vote left, yes, but it’s an obsession,’ hinting at a feeling that the legal pursuit of Sarkozy might be excessive given the broader context of French politics.”
Others believe the sentencing is deserved, with one political commentator saying, “This shows that in France, politicians are no longer above the law.” They believe this could highlight a change in how the judicial system views former politicians and their actions.
As it stands, the discussion around Sarkozy’s sentencing will most likely continue and change with France’s elections next year. France In English states, “The mixed reaction from the public indicates a nuanced political landscape where opinions are deeply divided, yet the implications of Sarkozy’s case resonate throughout various ideological spectrums.”
As of now, Sarkozy has been sentenced and his request to appeal is still pending.
