Former French President Sarkozy handed five-year jail term in Libya graft trial

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was handed a five-year prison sentence on Thursday (September 25, 2025) after he was found guilty by a Paris court of criminally conspiring with Libya over illegal campaign financing.

Mr. Sarkozy, who has always denied the charges, was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.

The judge, who acquitted Mr. Sarkozy of other charges, including corruption, said there was no proof that Mr. Sarkozy made such a deal with Gaddafi, nor that money that was sent from Libya reached Mr. Sarkozy's campaign coffers.