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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been handed a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy in a case centred on allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was bankrolled with funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The Paris court delivered its verdict on Thursday, convicting Sarkozy of conspiracy but acquitting him of passive corruption and other illicit financing charges. The former head of state, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, is expected to receive a formal summons within a month to confirm when he must begin serving his sentence.
Speaking to reporters after the judgment, Sarkozy described the ruling as an “injustice” and vowed to appeal. “If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high,” he said, pledging to fight “until my last breath” to prove his innocence.
Prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy, then serving as France’s interior minister, entered into a clandestine agreement with Gaddafi in 2005 to secure millions of euros in illegal financing for his successful 2007 presidential bid. They characterised the alleged pact as a “corruption scheme inconceivable, unheard of, indecent”.
Sarkozy, who led France until 2012, has faced a series of legal challenges in recent years, including other convictions for corruption and influence peddling, which he is also appealing.
