![Vincent Isore/IP3 ; Paris, France March 16, 2023 - Hearing of the Commission of Inquiry to establish the reasons for the loss of sovereignty and energy independence of France - Nicolas Sarkozy, Former President of the Republic.
[PHOTO CREDIT:
Le Parisien]](https://i0.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2025/09/WEXHUWIRMVCABGXRBAJ7QW3MFU.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1)
The former President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of criminal conspiracy in connection with illegal campaign financing tied to Libya during his 2007 presidential run.
Mr Sarkozy was found guilty by the Paris Criminal Court on Thursday after a three-month trial that involved 11 defendants, including three former ministers and Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine.
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Although the Paris criminal court acquitted him of all other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing, Mr Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy relating to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
According to the BBC, Mr Sarkozy, however, denied the allegation, arguing that the charges were politically motivated and based on fabricated evidence.
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Speaking after Thursday’s hearing, the 70-year-old said, “What happened today… is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system,” Sarkozy said outside the court building.”
Mr Sarkozy was the president of France from 2007 to 2012.
The French authorities launched their first investigation into Mr Sarkozy in 2013.
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Investigators had alleged that Mr Sarkozy secretly accepted millions of euros from Mr Gaddafi to secure his 2007 election victory.
The suspicions gained momentum after Mr Gaddafi’s regime collapsed in 2011.
Documents and testimony surfaced showing financial ties between Tripoli and Mr Sarkozy’s campaign.
Mr Takieddine, who was a central figure in the affair, also testified that he personally delivered suitcases containing more than €5 million ($5.87 million) in cash from Libya to Paris between 2006 and 2007.
Meanwhile, in 2021, Mr Sarkozy was also convicted in a separate wiretapping case for corruption and influence peddling and handed a three-year prison sentence.
