Former French president Sarkozy gets five-year prison term in Libya funding case
Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012, has been sentenced to five years in prison after a Paris court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over allegations that his 2007 presidential campaign was secretly financed by the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
The verdict was delivered on Thursday, marking a major legal development in the case. The court acquitted Sarkozy of several other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. It also ruled that two of his closest associates, former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were guilty of criminal association, while clearing them of some other charges.
The court determined there was insufficient evidence that Sarkozy personally received illicit funds, but concluded that he had allowed close associates to solicit financial support from Libyan officials.
The former head of state was also ordered to pay a €100,000 fine.
Sarkozy has consistently denied any wrongdoing and described the legal proceedings as politically motivated. The case has attracted wide attention due to its implications for French politics and the issue of legal accountability for former heads of state.
This ruling is the latest in a series of legal challenges Sarkozy has faced since leaving office and represents a rare instance of a former French president receiving a custodial sentence.
Earlier in 2020, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy already stood trial on corruption charges over allegations that he attempted to unlawfully obtain confidential information from a judge.