Libya is set to receive financial compensation of more than €8.4 million after a Paris court found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of receiving illegal funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s regime for his 2007 election campaign.
The ruling, delivered by the Paris Criminal Court, ordered Sarkozy and several of his associates to pay damages to the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP). The fund will obtain €8,350,100 for material damages, €100,000 for moral damages, and an additional €25,000 to cover legal expenses.
French media confirmed that Sarkozy has also been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with the illegal Libyan funding case. Reports suggest he is due to appear before the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office in Paris in mid-October to schedule the start of his sentence.
According to French outlets, preparations are already under way for Sarkozy’s imprisonment at Santé Prison in central Paris, in a section designated for high-profile inmates. Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, said his client would not seek a presidential pardon from Emmanuel Macron, stressing that Sarkozy intends to pursue legal avenues to clear his name.
The ruling underscores the long-running scandal over allegations that Gaddafi’s regime funnelled millions into Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign in exchange for political favours. Sarkozy has faced charges including conspiracy, misuse of public funds, and illegal campaign financing. Although the court acquitted him of some accusations, the conviction marks a significant blow to his legal and political standing.
For Libya, the financial award represents a symbolic legal victory, reinforcing claims that the Gaddafi era’s funds were misappropriated abroad. The decision also highlights Europe’s ongoing reckoning with past dealings between political figures and the Libyan regime.
