Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in connection with attempts to secure campaign funding from Libya. The ruling makes him the first former French head of state who will serve time behind bars.
The court’s decision came as a shock, as many had expected a lighter sentence. Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, immediately announced that he would appeal. However, the court made it clear that the sentence is enforceable immediately, giving him only a short window to put his affairs in order before prosecutors move him to prison within the month.
Visibly shaken as he left the courtroom, Sarkozy called the ruling “scandalous” and stood firm in his denial. “If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high,” he said. “I will not apologise for something I didn’t do.” His wife, model and singer Carla Bruni, stood by him during the proceedings.
The court acquitted Sarkozy of corruption and illegal campaign financing, but ruled that he was guilty of criminal conspiracy between 2005 and 2007, when close aides reached out to Libyan contacts to seek funding for his 2007 campaign. Although judges acknowledged there was no direct proof that Libyan money reached his campaign coffers, they ruled that the efforts to obtain it were deliberate and unlawful.
His lawyer, Jean-Michel Darrois, expressed disappointment at the ruling. “We were shocked because when we started hearing the decision being read out, we thought his innocence would be recognised,” he said. “We hope the appeals court will see things more clearly and will recognise his innocence.”
This latest ruling adds to Sarkozy’s ongoing legal troubles. Last year, France’s highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, forcing him to wear an electronic tag for a year. Another appeals court also confirmed a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing tied to his failed 2012 re-election bid.
Reactions to Thursday’s ruling were divided. Figures on the right criticized the decision as biased, while others on the left welcomed it as a sign of judicial independence. Vincent Brengarth, lawyer for campaign group Sherpa, praised the judgment: “This confirms we have an independent justice system that can be brave.”
Despite losing his Legion of Honour and facing repeated convictions, Sarkozy remains an influential figure in French politics. He has recently met with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and has even acknowledged Marine Le Pen’s National Rally as part of the “republican arc.” For many, however, his legacy will now be defined not by his presidency, but by the prison sentence that follows it.
By Lucky Anyanje