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French Persecutors Demand Seven Years in Prison for Nicholas Sarkozy

March 28, 2025

French prosecutors urged a seven-year prison sentence and a 300,000-euro (around USD 325,000) fine for former President Nicolas Sarkozy in connection with allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally financed by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s government.

(3 Minutes Read)

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office ( PNF) also called for a five-year ban on Sarkozy’s civic, civil, and family rights. This measure would bar him from holding elected office or serving in any public judicial role.

French prosecutors urged a seven-year prison sentence and a 300,000-euro (around USD 325,000) fine for former President Nicolas Sarkozy in connection with allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was illegally financed by former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s government.

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) also called for a five-year ban on Sarkozy’s civic, civil, and family rights. This measure would bar him from holding elected office or serving in any public judicial role.

The case, which opened in January and is expected to conclude on April 10, is considered the most serious of the multiple legal scandals that have clouded Sarkozy’s post-presidency.

The 70-year-old Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, faces charges of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, concealment of embezzlement of public funds, and criminal association. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Sarkozy has dismissed the Libya allegations as politically motivated and rooted in forged evidence. If convicted, he would become the first former French president found guilty of accepting illegal foreign funds to win office.