Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced to Five Years for Libyan Campaign Funding Conspiracy

New Delhi (India) September 26: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will soon become the first former French president to serve time in prison. This is after being sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for criminal conspiracy. It is related to attempts to take for campaign funding from Libya. He was fined 100,000 euros in relation to the Libyan Cash Campaign Trial.

Historic Verdict Against Sarkozy

Sarkozy was convicted of criminal conspiracy for his close associates' attempts to obtain money from Libya. It was during the late dictator Muammar Gaddafi's tenure for his 2007 presidential campaign.

The Paris court clears him of all other matters. It includes receiving illicit campaign finance and corruption.

Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux were also found guilty of criminal association but also cleared of other accusations. They were the former ministers and two of Sarkozy's closest colleagues during his presidency.

Sarkozy’s Reaction and Claims of Political Bias

Sarkozy was clearly angered as he left the courthouse. He describes the decision as a "scandalous" decision. Sarkozy asserts that there is political motivation behind the lawsuit.

He says, "What happened today ... is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system.”

He was the president from 2007 to 2012. Even if he appeals the decision, as he has stated he will do, he will still serve time in prison. This is because the punishment was more severe than many had anticipated.

Details of the Libyan Cash Campaign Trial

According to the sources, the inquiry was launched in 2013. It was two years after the son of the then-leader of Libya, Saif al-Islam, initially charged Sarkozy with misappropriating millions of his father's funds for political purposes.

Sarkozy has consistently disputed the accusations. He was charged with negotiating with Gaddafi in 2005 while serving as France's interior minister. This was for securing campaign funding in return for backing the then-isolated Libyan government internationally.

Court’s Findings

The judge said that even while the timing was "compatible" and the routes the money took were "very opaque," there was no evidence that Sarkozy struck such a contract with Gaddafi. There was no proof that funds transferred from Libya made it to Sarkozy's campaign funds.

She found Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy for allowing close aides to contact Libyans. This was in an attempt to secure campaign funding.

Sarkozy was found guilty by the court of criminal conspiracy from 2005 to 2007. The court also stated that he was then president and hence protected by presidential immunity.

Sarkozy’s Education and Career

The former French president obtained his master's degree in private law (1978), his certificate to practice law (1981), and his undergraduate degree in political science from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

Sarkozy was named Minister of State, Minister of the Interior, and Minister of Spatial Planning by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (2005) before becoming president.