The Paris Correctional Court rendered a historic judgment this Thursday: former President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of the criminal association in the case of the supposed Libyan funding of his 2007 presidential campaign. On the other hand, he was released from accusations of corruption.
The president of the court, Nathalie Gavarino, estimated that Nicolas Sarkozy had “let her close collaborators act in order to obtain financial support” from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. According to the court decision, this attitude constitutes participation in a criminal organization, even if no direct evidence of personal corruption has been retained against him.
This trial is one of the most sensitive components of the long judicial saga around the funding presumed by Libya of the victorious campaign in 2007. The investigation had started in 2013, after revelations of the press and the testimonies of former Libyan dignitaries.
What the law says
What does the law say in matters of criminal association? “Constitutes an association of criminals any group formed or agreement established for the preparation, characterized by one or more material facts, one or more crimes or one or more crimes punished with at least five years ‘imprisonment (…) Participation in an association of criminals is punished with five years’ imprisonment and 75,000 euros fine”, according to the French penal code.
It was not the first conviction of Nicolas Sarkozy: in March 2021, he was sentenced to three years in prison, including a farm, for corruption and influence traffic in the so -called “listening” case, a confirmed verdict on appeal. It also remains targeted in other procedures, in particular linked to the financing of its electoral campaigns.
