Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison Over Libya Campaign Funding Scandal

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy related to alleged campaign funding from Libya's Moamer Kadhafi for his 2007 presidential campaign.

The Paris court ordered that Sarkozy be placed in custody at a later date, with prosecutors given one month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison.

Despite any potential appeal from the 70-year-old Sarkozy, this measure will remain in force. If incarcerated, he would become the first president in modern French history to serve jail time.

The court also imposed a €100,000 ($117,000) fine and banned him from holding public office.

This marks Sarkozy's third conviction, though he has previously avoided imprisonment. In one earlier case, he served his sentence with an electronic monitoring device which has since been removed.

Beyond appealing the verdict, Sarkozy could request parole based on his age.

Presiding judge Nathalie Gavarino emphasized that Sarkozy's offenses were of "exceptional gravity" and "likely to undermine the confidence of citizens."

Alexandre Djouhri, alleged to be an intermediary in the scheme, received a six-year sentence and was ordered to be placed under immediate arrest.

Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's right-hand-man, and former minister Brice Hortefeux were sentenced to six and two years respectively. Hortefeux, 67, will be permitted to serve his term with electronic monitoring, while Gueant, 80, will avoid prison due to health concerns.

The court convicted Sarkozy on criminal conspiracy charges but acquitted him of corruption and accepting illegal campaign financing. It also noted there was insufficient evidence that Libyan funds were actually used in his campaign.

Prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy and his associates formed a pact with Kadhafi in 2005 to illegally finance Sarkozy's successful 2007 presidential campaign.

Investigators believe that in exchange, Kadhafi was promised assistance in rehabilitating his international image following Libya's implication in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and a 1989 Niger plane bombing that collectively killed hundreds.

Kadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 during the Arab Spring, with France under Sarkozy's leadership playing a significant role in NATO's intervention.

The prosecution built its case on testimony from seven former Libyan officials, documented trips to Libya by Gueant and Hortefeux, financial transfers, and notebooks belonging to former Libyan oil minister Shukri Ghanem, who was found dead in Vienna's Danube river in 2012.

Sarkozy has faced numerous legal challenges since leaving office, with charges including corruption, bribery, influence-peddling, and campaign finance violations.

His first conviction resulted in a one-year prison sentence, which he served partially with electronic monitoring before receiving conditional release.

In the separate "Bygmalion affair" involving illegal campaign financing, Sarkozy received a one-year term (six months with another six months suspended). He has appealed this verdict to France's highest appeals court.

The legal consequences have extended beyond court sentences, including the loss of his Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction.

Despite his legal troubles, the self-styled "hyper-president" maintains significant influence and popularity among right-wing French politicians and reportedly meets regularly with current President Emmanuel Macron.