PARIS (Monitoring Desk) – In a stunning courtroom twist, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was handed a five-year prison sentence on Thursday after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 election campaign.
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The verdict marks the first time in modern French history that a former head of state has been ordered to serve actual prison time. Even more striking, the Paris court ruled that Sarkozy, 70, will go behind bars despite his plan to appeal, though the exact date of his imprisonment will be determined later.
The court declared Sarkozy’s actions “exceptionally serious,” saying his behind-the-scenes role in seeking campaign funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was capable of “undermining citizens’ trust in public institutions.”
While Sarkozy was acquitted of corruption, illegal financing, and concealment charges, the court held him responsible for leading a network of associates who reached out to Libyan authorities for cash to fuel his rise to the presidency.
Flanked by his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni, Sarkozy fiercely rejected the ruling, branding it a “scandalous injustice.”
“If they want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high. I am innocent,” Sarkozy told reporters.
Two of his close allies, former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also found guilty of criminal association.
The accusations stretch back more than a decade, involving alleged suitcase deliveries of cash from Tripoli, secret back-channel diplomacy, and a web of witness tampering claims. Even though prosecutors could not prove that Libyan money directly funded Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign, the court said the conspiracy itself was enough to convict.
Once hailed as the face of France’s conservative revival, Sarkozy now stands disgraced, stripped of the Legion of Honor and facing a string of convictions that have tarnished his legacy.
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