A Paris court has handed down a major ruling against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, sentencing him to five years in prison with the term deferred for now. The decision also includes a five-year ban from holding any public office and a €100,000 fine. This stems from a high-profile case involving alleged illegal campaign financing tied to Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with efforts to secure funding for his 2007 presidential win. Prosecutors claimed he struck a deal with Gaddafi’s regime, promising to boost Libya’s global image and show leniency to Gaddafi’s brother-in-law, Abdallah Senoussi, who was convicted in France for a deadly airline bombing that killed 170 people. However, the court cleared Sarkozy of charges like passive corruption, embezzling Libyan public funds, and direct illegal election financing. The conspiracy charge focuses on his role in a scheme from 2005 to 2007 that set up the corruption.
At 70 years old, Sarkozy—who led France from 2007 to 2012—now faces the fallout as the first former French president convicted of such a serious crime. He has the right to appeal the verdict and could seek conditional release based on his age. Under French law, the public prosecutor’s office will summon him within a month to set an imprisonment date.
The three-month trial earlier this year dug into key evidence, like Sarkozy’s trips to Tripoli in 2005, suspicious money transfers through offshore accounts, and reports that his government shielded Gaddafi’s former chief of staff, Bechir Saleh. Investigators even looked at the mysterious death of a Libyan oil minister whose notes mentioned payments “for Sarkozy.” Eleven other defendants, including three ex-ministers, were also on trial.
Sarkozy has firmly denied the allegations, insisting there’s “not a shred of proof” linking Libyan money to his 2007 campaign. His legal team argues the case rests on shaky documents and unreliable witness statements.
This conviction piles onto Sarkozy’s growing list of legal woes. He’s already been found guilty in two other scandals: the “Bygmalion affair” over excessive spending in his 2012 presidential bid, and the “Bismuth case” involving corruption and influence peddling. As part of one punishment, he wore an electronic ankle bracelet from January to May this year. He’s appealing that to the European Court of Human Rights, adding more uncertainty to his future.
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