(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) A Paris criminal court has sentenced former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison, having found him guilty of criminal conspiracy tied to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. The court's ruling mandates that he serve time even if he appeals, underscoring the gravity attributed to his conduct.

Judges determined that between 2005 and 2007 Sarkozy conspired, through close aides, to seek funding from Libya under Muammar Gaddafi's regime. While the court did not establish that funds definitively reached his campaign, it held that his involvement in orchestrating the scheme violated legal and ethical boundaries. He was acquitted on three other counts, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealment of embezzlement. The court also levied a €100,000 fine against him.

Two of his high-level associates were also sentenced: Claude Guéant received six years, convertible due to health reasons, and Brice Hortefeux was given two years under house arrest with monitoring. Notably, another defendant, former campaign treasurer Éric Woerth, was acquitted. The court's decision also bars Sarkozy from holding public office for five years.

Sarkozy, aged 70, denounced the decision as a profound injustice and declared he would“sleep in jail with my head held high.” He emphasised his intention to appeal the verdict. His lawyer challenged the ruling's legal basis, arguing that the evidence did not support such a sentence.

The case represents a dramatic escalation in Sarkozy's legal troubles. He had already been convicted in prior cases-such as one in 2021 for corruption and influence-peddling, and another involving campaign overspending-that led to sentences including electronic tags or suspended jail time. French courts also stripped him of the Legion of Honour earlier this year.

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Prosecutors had initially sought a seven-year prison term and a €300,000 fine, along with five years of ineligibility. They had framed the case as one of“high-intensity corruption,” alleging a formal agreement between Sarkozy and the Gaddafi regime in exchange for diplomatic favours. Though the court accepted elements of that narrative, it curtailed charges where evidence was deemed weak or speculative.

A complicating factor in the trial was the death of Ziad Takieddine, a key figure alleged to have transferred cash from Libya to Paris. He died two days before the verdict, prompting dismissal of charges against him on grounds of judicial extinction.

Analysts view the ruling as a watershed moment in French politics. No modern French president has ever been forced to enter prison after a final criminal conviction. While the decision may energise Sarkozy's political base, it also raises questions about public trust, institutional integrity and the broader accountability of high office.

Sarkozy's Republican party allies spoke out in his defence, with some calling for procedural reform in French justice. Opposition voices, particularly within left and far-right circles, have seized on the moment to critique elite impunity and the politicisation of high-stakes trials.

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