Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted Thursday by a Paris court of criminal conspiracy over allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was secretly bankrolled by Libya’s Moamer Kadhafi.
The 70-year-old ex-leader, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, was acquitted on separate charges of corruption, embezzlement of Libyan public funds and illegal campaign financing. Prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term, with sentencing due later.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy, then a minister and party boss, allowed close allies to solicit financial support from Libyan authorities. Two of his longtime associates — Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux — were also convicted, while his former campaign treasurer Eric Woerth was cleared.
The ruling comes amid dramatic twists, including the death in Beirut this week of Ziad Takieddine, a key accuser who claimed he delivered millions in Libyan cash to Sarkozy’s team before later retracting and then reversing his retraction.
Sarkozy, who governed France from 2007 to 2012, has already been convicted twice in separate corruption and campaign finance cases and stripped of France’s highest honour, the Legion of Honour.
Despite mounting legal woes, the man once branded the “hyper-president” still wields influence on the French right and maintains close contact with President Emmanuel Macron.
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