Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday after a Paris court found him guilty of conspiracy to obtain money from Libya for his 2007 election campaign during the rule of dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi.
The court acquitted him of corruption and illegal campaign financing charges, but the verdict means he will have to serve his sentence even if he appeals.
The sentence is harsher than expected. According to the court, Sarkozy allowed his close associates to negotiate with Libyan representatives about obtaining funds, even though there was no direct evidence of an agreement or money transfer.
According to the indictment, Sarkozy had already reached an agreement with the late Gaddafi in 2005, when he was interior minister, to support the Libyan regime in exchange for financial aid.
The investigation was based on suspicions that millions of euros had literally been brought to France in suitcases, with Libyan agents, arms dealers, and individuals with ties to terrorism involved in the case.
His former colleagues Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux were also charged alongside him. Guéant was found guilty of corruption, Hortefeux of conspiracy.
Now 70, Sarkozy faces several court cases even after leaving office. Despite his legal problems, he remains an influential figure in French politics and recently supported Marine Le Pen's National Rally as part of the “Republican arc.”
(reuters, max)