Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in connection with the alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.
He is the first ex-president to face incarceration in the country.
The Paris criminal court ordered his detention with a deferred committal mandate, meaning Sarkozy will receive notice of his incarceration date from prosecutors within a month.
An appeal, if filed, will not suspend this immediate enforcement measure.
The court also imposed a €100,000 fine on Sarkozy, along with a five-year ban from holding public office and being eligible to run for elections.
Presiding judge Nathalie Gavarino described the criminal acts as “extraordinarily serious” and said they undermined citizens’ trust in democratic institutions.
Despite the ruling, Sarkozy, aged 70, is entitled to appeal and may also seek conditional release due to his age.
Former French President called thedecision "extremely resentful of the rule of law" and denounced an "intolerable injustice".
"So hate really knows no bounds," the ex-president declared about his impending incarceration. "If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, then I'll sleep in jail. But with my head held high, because I am innocent," he said.
Key associates of Sarkozy, Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also sentenced in the case. Guéant, aged 80, received a six-year prison sentence but was spared immediate detention due to health concerns. He was, however, ordered to pay a €250,000 fine.
Hortefeux, aged 67, was sentenced to two years in prison, though the court ruled his sentence can be served at home under electronic surveillance.
Both men were found guilty of engaging in negotiations with Muammar Gaddafi’s Libyan regime to secure secret funding for Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign.
While no concrete evidence of illegal financing was established, the court ruled that organising such actions was sufficient to constitute the crime of criminal conspiracy.
The judgement also pointed to Sarkozy’s close ties to Guéant and Hortefeux, concluding that he could not have been unaware of their actions.
Additionally, intermediary Alexandre Djouhri was sentenced to six years in prison with immediate detention, a €3 million fine, and a 15-year ban from managing a business.
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