Sentence is harsher than many expected, and a first in modern French political history
\n paris
\nFormer French president Nicolas Sarkozy will soon be imprisoned after he was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday by a court that found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over dealings with Libya, an unprecedented punishment for a leading French political figure.
\nThe sentence was harsher than many expected, and a first in modern French political history. Sarkozy, who was president between 2007-2012, will spend time in jail even if he appeals the ruling.
\nAs he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy expressed his anger at the ruling. \u201cWhat happened today … is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system,\u201d he told reporters.
\n\u201cIf they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high,\u201d he said, adding that he was innocent and that the ruling was scandalous.
\nSarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy over efforts by close aides to procure funds for his 2007 presidential bid from Libya during the rule of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
\nHe was acquitted by the Paris court of all other charges, including corruption and receiving illegal campaign financing.
\nSarkozy will go to jail
\nHowever, the jail sentence is enforceable immediately, with the judge saying Sarkozy would have just a short period to put his affairs in order before prosecutors call on him to head to jail. That should happen within a month.
\nSarkozy, who has always denied the charges, was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France\u2019s interior minister, to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.
\nThe judge said there was no proof that Sarkozy made such a deal with Gaddafi, nor that money that was sent from Libya reached Sarkozy\u2019s campaign coffers, even if the timing was \u201ccompatible\u201d and the paths the money went through were \u201cvery opaque\u201d.
\nBut she said Sarkozy was guilty of criminal conspiracy for having let close aides get in touch with people in Libya to try to obtain campaign financing.
\nThe 70-year-old has been on trial since January, in a case he said was politically motivated.
\nThe court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy between 2005 and 2007. After that, he was president and covered by presidential immunity, the court added.
\nThat was the second time this year that a court handed down a ruling with immediate effect on a major political figure.
\nA court convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen in March of embezzling EU funds, handing her an immediate five-year ban on running for office.
\nSarkozy\u2019s legal woes
\nDespite his legal battles, and having his Legion of Honour, France\u2019s highest distinction, stripped in June, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French political stage.
\nHe recently met with his former protege, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, and has also lent credibility to Le Pen\u2019s National Rally (RN), saying the far-right, anti-immigrant party now forms part of the \u201crepublican arc.\u201d
\nSarkozy has faced several legal battles since leaving office.
\nLast year, France\u2019s highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year, a first for a former French head of state. The tag has now been removed.
\nAlso last year, an appeals court confirmed a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing over his failed re-election bid in 2012. A final ruling from France\u2019s highest court is expected on that case next month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sentence is harsher than many expected, and a first in modern French political history paris Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will soon be imprisoned after he was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday by a court that found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over dealings with Libya, an unprecedented punishment for a leading […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":505063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-505043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n