US EditionFrench ex-president Sarkozy sentenced to 5 years in prison in Libya campaign financing case
- On September 25, 2025, a court in Paris convicted former French President Nicolas Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy connected to alleged Libyan financial support during his 2007 election campaign and sentenced him to a five-year prison term.
- The conviction arose from accusations that between 2005 and 2007 Sarkozy engaged in a scheme to secure millions of euros from Libya's late leader Muammar Gaddafi in exchange for diplomatic favors.
- The court cleared Sarkozy of charges including corruption and illegal campaign financing, while the judges justified his pre-emptive detention by emphasizing the significant political implications of the case.
- At 70, Sarkozy denounced the verdict as deeply unjust and announced his intention to appeal, declaring that if incarceration is imposed, he will face it with dignity and unwavering resolve.
- The ruling marks a historic first in France and intensifies political divisions while throwing the country’s political class into turmoil amid concerns about judicial precedent and political motives.
635 Articles
635 Articles
The former president of France has the right, after his imprisonment, to request to be released from prison and placed under house arrest with a "bracelet"
Former Special Adviser to Nicolas Sarkozy, Henri Guaino, asked the former head of state to be grateful before he arrived in prison and to complain of "a state and institutions humiliation," AFP reports.
MAINTENANCE. Sentenced to five years in prison, Nicolas Sarkozy risks becoming the first former president incarcerated. An inedite decision, which questions the logic of the court and the solidity of the case.
The term "faustic pact" comes from Goethe's work and means an agreement with the devil. In France this means now: with Gaddafi
Tioga Publishing
Sarkozy conviction exposes political divide in crisis-hit France
The dramatic decision to send former president Nicolas Sarkozy to prison for criminal conspiracy has laid bare France's stark political divisions, with the move cheered by the left but slammed by the ascendant right.
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- 40% of the sources lean Left
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