Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to five years in prison

Source: Sky News

The former leader, 70, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy, but not guilty of passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealing the embezzlement of public funds. The three-month court case in Paris was over the alleged illegal financing of Sarkozy's 2007 presidential election campaign by the government of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

In a surprise move, the judge said he would be jailed regardless of whether he appeals the verdict, which usually suspends sentencing. He was not sent straight to prison, however, with the start date of his sentence yet to be decided.

Sarkozy still vowed to appeal regardless, telling reporters outside court on Thursday: "This injustice is a scandal. "I ask the French people - whether they voted for me or not, whether they support me or not - to grasp what has just happened. Hatred truly knows no bounds." The ruling undermines confidence in the French justice system, he added, before vowing to "fight right until the end" to "prove his innocence in this affair". "If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high," he concluded.

Overall, the hours-long verdict suggested the former president and his co-defendants had conspired to seek Libyan campaign funding - but not that he was personally involved or that money was actually used. The judge said Sarkozy had allowed his associates to reach out to Libyan authorities "to obtain or try to obtain financial support in Libya for the purpose of securing campaign financing".

Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/former-french-president-nicolas-sarkozy-found-guilty-of-conspiracy-in-gaddafi-finance-trial-13437795