Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison for illegally accepting campaign funds

A French court ruled that former President Sarkozy was convicted of criminal conspiracy for his close associates' contact with the Libyan side to obtain campaign funds and sentenced him to five years in prison. He must serve his sentence.

Nicolas Sarkozy was accused of reaching an agreement with Muammar Gaddafi, the then leader of Libya, during his tenure as the French Interior Minister in 2005 to obtain campaign funds from Libya in exchange for supporting the then isolated Libyan government on the international stage. Sarkozy has always denied the accusations.

Reuters reported that a Paris court handed down a verdict on this case on Thursday (September 25th). The judge said that Sarkozy, who allowed his close associates to have contact with the Libyan side to obtain campaign funds, was guilty of criminal conspiracy between 2005 and 2007. During his tenure as president thereafter, Sarkozy enjoyed presidential immunity.

This verdict means that even if he appeals, Sarkozy will still serve a prison sentence, which is far more severe than many people expected.

Sarkozy then strongly criticized the verdict. He indicated that he would appeal and said, "Even if I go to prison, I will hold my head high."

Sarkozy, who is 70 years old now, served as the president of France from 2007 to 2012. In recent years, he has been embroiled in legal disputes, and the Legion of Honor (the highest honor in France) he was previously awarded was also revoked in June this year.

Last year, the French Supreme Court upheld its ruling, finding Sarkozy guilty of corruption and power-for-money deals and sentencing him to wear electronic monitoring equipment for one year. The equipment has now been removed.

In the same year, the appellate court also found Sarkozy guilty of illegal campaign funds during his failed re-election campaign in 2012. The Supreme Court is expected to make a final ruling on this case in October.

Despite being embroiled in lawsuits, Sarkozy still holds significant influence in French politics. He recently met with his former protege and current prime minister Le Corney and endorsed the far-right National Alliance led by Le Pen.