Former French President Sarkozy Sentenced to Prison Over Libya Case

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the courthouse successful Paris. Credit: Teresa Suarez / EPA via AMNA

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to 5 years successful situation aft being recovered blameworthy of transgression conspiracy successful a lawsuit tied to alleged illicit backing from the authorities of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 statesmanlike campaign.

The ruling by a Paris transgression tribunal marks a historical infinitesimal successful French politics, making Sarkozy the archetypal former caput of authorities successful modern France to look specified a terrible penalty. The 70-year-old person was besides ordered to wage a €100,000 ($116,761) fine.

Court ruling and condemnation for Sarkozy

Reading from a 400-page verdict, Presiding Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy allowed adjacent allies and governmental associates—operating nether his authority—to question oregon effort to unafraid fiscal enactment from Libyan authorities to concern his predetermination campaign.

The tribunal specified that the situation word indispensable beryllium served adjacent if Sarkozy appeals. Prosecutors present person a period to acceptable the day for his incarceration.

While convicted of transgression conspiracy, Sarkozy was acquitted of charges related to corruption, embezzlement of Libyan nationalist funds, and amerciable run financing.

Sarkozy’s defiant response

Emerging from the courtroom, Sarkozy denounced the judgement arsenic a sedate injustice.

“This verdict carries value for the regularisation of law. Hatred knows nary limits. If they privation maine to slumber successful prison, I will, but with my caput held high. I americium innocent. This injustice is simply a scandal,” helium declared.

Vowing to combat the ruling, helium added:

“I volition appeal. I volition combat until my past breath. Those who hatred maine deliberation they tin humiliate me. But today, they humiliated France, its image. If idiosyncratic betrayed France, it is not me—it is the justness system.”

A past of ineligible troubles

This is not Sarkozy’s archetypal brushwood with the French justness system. In a abstracted case, helium was sentenced to 1 twelvemonth successful situation for corruption and power peddling successful the alleged “wiretapping affair.”

Earlier this year, helium was required to deterioration an physics monitoring bracelet from January to May, an unprecedented punishment for a erstwhile French caput of state.