A French court will rule on Thursday in the trial of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, accused of accepting illegal campaign financing from late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with prosecutors demanding a seven-year jail term. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007-2012, has already been convicted in two separate cases and stripped of France’s highest honour. Even if convicted, Sarkozy is likely to appeal, and it is doubtful that he would be sent to prison immediately. Sarkozy’s defence attorney Christophe Ingrain urged the court to acquit the ex-president, arguing his client did not need Libyan funding for his presidential campaign. AdvertisementAn appeals court in 2024 confirmed the conviction but lightened his sentence to six months with another six months suspended.