Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will soon be imprisoned after he was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday by a court that found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over dealings with Libya, an unprecedented punishment for a leading French political figure.
The sentence was harsher than many expected, and a first in modern French political history. Sarkozy, who was president between 2007-2012, will spend time in jail even if he appeals the ruling.
As he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy expressed his anger at the ruling. "What happened today ... is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system," he told reporters.
"If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high," he said, adding that he was innocent and that the ruling was scandalous.
Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy over efforts by close aides to procure funds for his 2007 presidential bid from Libya during the rule of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
He was acquitted by the Paris court of all other charges, including corruption and receiving illegal campaign financing.
The judge also ordered Sarkozy to pay a €100,000 fine.
The jail sentence is enforceable immediately, with the judge saying Sarkozy would have just a short period to put his affairs in order before prosecutors call on him to head to jail. That should happen within a month.
Sarkozy, was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France's interior minister, to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.
The 70-year-old has been on trial since January on charges of "concealing the embezzlement of public funds, passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime".
Investigators alleged he made a corrupt pact with the Libyan government allegedly to involve Libyan spies, a convicted terrorist, arms dealers and allegations that Gaddafi provided Sarkozy's campaign with millions of euros shipped to Paris in suitcases.
Sarkozy had said the case is politically motivated.
Despite lingering legal headaches, and having his Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, stripped in June, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French political stage.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, say...
Police detained hundreds of protesters in New Delhi on Sunday as demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commis...
AnewZ’s recent reporting from Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates brings audiences closer to the technologies, and the decisions, shaping...
The explosion at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday afternoon killed at least 12 people and injured a further 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s Civil Aviation Authority. The airport remains closed until further notice.
Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise after Donald Trump mediated the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in 2025, the U.S. President said at a rally in New York state on Friday.
The United Nations has condemned a sharp rise in attacks on civilians in Ukraine, reporting that more than 100 people were killed and at least 429 injured in a single week as Russian strikes hit residential areas, passenger buses and critical infrastructure.
Turkic states are assessing the feasibility of passport-free travel between countries using national ID cards, Kürşad Zorlu, the Deputy Chairman of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Saturday.
Police detained hundreds of protesters in New Delhi on Sunday as demonstrations demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner entered a second day, while a court ordered the release of the founder of the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and two other senior leaders.
Russian and Ukrainian drone attacks injured civilians and disrupted infrastructure, as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to what he described as an “energy ceasefire.”
Ukraine is ready to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries if Moscow also halts strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
Air France has reportedly informed its pilots and cabin crew of new Israeli restrictions preventing employees holding certain nationalities, including dual nationals, from operating flights to Israel, according to an investigation published by French outlet Mediapart on Saturday.
Nepali authorities urged villagers on Sunday (11 October) to move to safer places after a flood in a river in the central part of the country swept away several houses and infrastructure, but there were no reports of any casualties.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment