Nicolas Sarkozy found guilty of conspiracy with Gaddafi

Paris Criminal Court on September 25, 2025, found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in the case of illegal financing of his 2007 election campaign with Libyan money from Muammar Gaddafi. However, on the main charges - passive corruption and illegal use of funds - Sarkozy was acquitted. This is reported by Reuters, citing the court's verdict, where the ex-president was present with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The sentence for conspiracy will be announced later in the day, and Sarkozy, a 70-year-old politician, has already announced his intention to appeal, calling the trial "politically motivated". This case, which lasted 15 years, is one of the most high-profile corruption scandals in modern France.

The prosecution claimed that in 2005, as Minister of the Interior, Sarkozy concluded a "corruption pact" with Gaddafi's regime: Libya allocated 50 million euros for the campaign in exchange for supporting Gaddafi's isolation and improving his reputation in the West. According to Al Jazeera, evidence included testimony from seven Libyan officials, financial transfers, and notebooks of former oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who drowned in the Danube in 2012. Judge Natasha Gavarino noted: "The chronology is compatible, the money trails are very opaque, but there is no direct evidence of corruption". Sarkozy denied the accusations, alleging falsifications.

Sarkozy, President of France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted in two other cases (for corruption in 2021 and influence in 2024), but appeals have suspended the sentences. His closest allies - Claude Guéant (passive corruption) and Brice Hortefeux (conspiracy) - were also found guilty, while campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was acquitted. The case began in 2011 after statements by a Libyan agency about "secret millions" from Gaddafi, confirmed by Mediapart investigations. Key witness Ziad Takieddine, who died of a heart attack two days before the verdict, had previously recanted his testimony about suitcases of cash, raising suspicions of bribery.