Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French President, received a five-year prison sentence after a conviction for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to fund his 2007 presidential campaign using Libyan money, The Associated Press reported on Thursday.
This verdict represents the first instance in modern history where a former president is set to serve a prison sentence.
The Parisian court indicated that Sarkozy, aged 70, would not face immediate incarceration but would commence his sentence at a subsequent, unconfirmed date.
“Should they insist I be imprisoned, I will comply. However, I will do so with dignity. I maintain my innocence. This injustice is outrageous,” Sarkozy stated outside the courthouse alongside his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as reported by the AP.
“It is France that has been disgraced today,” he asserted.
The judicial panel determined Sarkozy was guilty of criminal association spanning 2005 to 2007, during his term as interior minister.
Furthermore, he was found guilty of authorizing close associates to solicit campaign funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic concessions during the period of rule by late .
Nevertheless, he was cleared of three additional accusations, among them passive corruption and unlawful campaign financing.
During the trial, Nathalie Gavarino additionally asserted that the conspiracy’s objective was “to prepare an act of corruption at the highest possible level should you be elected President of the Republic,” as reported by the AP.
She further characterized the circumstances as “exceptionally serious” and detrimental to public confidence in democratic structures.
Sarkozy, who presided over France from 2007 to 2012, had maintained his denial throughout the three-month trial, characterizing them as an “idea” suggested by aides without his authorization.
“I am being found guilty for allegedly permitting my team to follow the notion — the notion of illicit financing,” he stated.
Two long-standing associates of Sarkozy also received convictions on Thursday.
Brice Hortefeux, the former Interior Minister, was given a two-year sentence to be completed under electronic surveillance.
Claude Guéant, Sarkozy’s former chief of staff, was sentenced to six years imprisonment; however, he was exempted from immediate confinement due to health considerations.
The judges stated that the individuals had covertly convened with Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi, Moammar Gadhafi’s brother-in-law, as part of a “corruption agreement.”
The court additionally observed that direct transfers of Libyan funds to Sarkozy’s campaign could not be substantiated, but affirmed that French legislation permits conviction if corrupt intention is established, even in the absence of a financial transaction.
Sarkozy has subsequently pledged to appeal the decision.
The origins of the case date back to 2011, when Libyan authorities asserted that Tripoli had channeled millions of euros into Sarkozy’s campaign.
He has, moreover, confronted numerous legal challenges since departing from office, encompassing distinct convictions for corruption and illicit campaign financing.