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Sarkozy’s Appeal Opens in Libyan Funding Case as Court Orders Medical Review for Guéant

The three‑month retrial will test a ruling that found a conspiracy to seek Libyan money without proving the funds reached the 2007 campaign.

Nicolas Sarkozy au tribunal de Paris, le 25 septembre 2025.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy talks to journalists after the verdict in his trial with other defendants on charges of corruption and illegal financing of an election campaign related to alleged Libyan funding of his successful 2007 presidential bid, at the courthouse in Paris, France, September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
Le lundi 16 mars 2026, Nicolas Sarkozy arrive à son procès en appel pour l'affaire du financement libyen de sa campagne présidentielle en 2007.
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Overview

  • The Paris Court of Appeal opened the retrial on March 16, scheduled through June 3, with Nicolas Sarkozy and nine co-defendants back in the dock while he remains under judicial supervision that includes a ban on leaving France.
  • The 2025 first‑instance judgment convicted Sarkozy of criminal conspiracy for allowing aides to solicit Libyan financing and acquitted him of three other counts, noting corroborated €6.5 million Libyan transfers but no proof they entered his campaign.
  • Judges ordered a medical expertise for 81‑year‑old Claude Guéant after he missed the opening hearing for health reasons, leaving his ability to attend the proceedings in question.
  • Co‑defendants include Brice Hortefeux, intermediary Alexandre Djouhri and banker Wahib Nacer, with prosecutors appealing multiple earlier outcomes, including the acquittal of former campaign treasurer Éric Woerth.
  • In a separate development, Sarkozy’s six‑month custodial sentence in the Bygmalion case is now final after he dropped his bid to merge sentences, with a judge to determine how the term will be served.