Sarkozy Criminal Conspiracy Conviction shocks France as ex-president is found guilty, though cleared of corruption. Sentencing expected soon in Paris

Sarkozy Criminal Conspiracy Conviction has sent shockwaves through French politics after a Paris court on Thursday found former president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection to suspected illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Also read: ‘Guilty of corruption’ Former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to jail

Though Sarkozy was acquitted of corruption and illegal campaign financing, the court’s ruling marks a fresh legal blow to the embattled former leader, who has now been convicted in three separate cases.

The verdict was delivered by Judge Nathalie Gavarino, who ruled that Sarkozy, as party leader and serving minister at the time, “allowed his close collaborators and political supporters… to approach Libyan authorities in order to obtain or attempt to obtain financial support.”

Prosecutors have requested a seven-year prison sentence, though the court has not yet delivered its final decision on punishment. Sarkozy, 70, appeared in court for the ruling, accompanied by his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Two close allies were also found guilty in the case.

His former chief of staff Claude Guéant was convicted of passive corruption and falsification, while ex-minister Brice Hortefeux was found guilty of criminal conspiracy.

However, Sarkozy’s former campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was acquitted.

The ruling came just two days after the death of Ziad Takieddine, the key accuser in the case, who previously alleged he had delivered up to €5 million in cash from Kadhafi’s regime to Sarkozy’s campaign team in 2006 and 2007.

Takieddine, 75, was found dead in Beirut, reportedly from a heart attack, adding an eerie undertone to a case already steeped in international intrigue.

The Franco-Lebanese businessman had retracted and then reaffirmed his claims, prompting the launch of a witness tampering investigation involving both Sarkozy and his wife.

Sarkozy’s conviction is the latest in a string of scandals that have dogged his post-presidency years. He was previously sentenced to a one-year jail term for corruption, served partially under electronic monitoring, and was stripped of France’s highest honour, the Legion of Honour.

He also faces a one-year sentence — half suspended — in the Bygmalion case over campaign overspending. Sarkozy is currently appealing that verdict in France’s top court.

Despite these legal defeats, Sarkozy remains a powerful figure within France’s right-wing political sphere and maintains regular contact with President Emmanuel Macron.

The Libyan funding scandal centres on allegations that Sarkozy’s team struck a deal with Kadhafi in 2005, in return for financial support to boost Sarkozy’s international campaign.

In return, Sarkozy was allegedly expected to assist the Libyan leader in restoring his global reputation, tarnished by past links to terrorism — including the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

Evidence presented included financial transfers, secret trips by Sarkozy aides to Libya, and the notebooks of Libyan oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who was found drowned in Vienna in 2012 under suspicious circumstances.

Though no longer in active office, Sarkozy’s continued presence in the political conversation means this conviction could still reverberate through France’s upcoming elections and further undermine public trust in political elites.

His supporters insist the cases are politically motivated, while critics argue they reveal deep-rooted ethical failings at the highest levels of power.