Ex-President of France sentenced to 5 years in prison
AKIPRESS.COM – Ex-President of France Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted of participating in a criminal conspiracy. He allegedly received funding from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime for his 2007 presidential campaign.
The court sentenced the 70-year-old politician to a five-year prison sentence, which was suspended, meaning he was not taken into custody immediately. However, he must report to the prosecutor’s office within one month to set the start date for his sentence. He was also ordered to pay a fine of €100,000.
Sarkozy was found guilty on only one of the charges. The other three – illegal campaign financing and corruption – were dropped. The judge stated that Sarkozy’s actions could have “undermined citizens’ trust in their representatives of authority.”
According to the investigation, Sarkozy’s campaign staff received about €50 million from Gaddafi, violating the ban on foreign financing. In exchange, Paris was expected to help rehabilitate the Libyan leader on the international stage. Sarkozy has denied the accusations, calling the case politically motivated, and plans to appeal the verdict.
This marks the third legal proceeding against the ex-president, who led France from 2007 to 2012. He was previously convicted in cases involving corruption, influence peddling, and campaign finance violations, for which he received a suspended sentence.
