Nicolas Sarkozy becomes the first former French president in modern history sentenced to prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 presidential campaign with Libyan funds, the Associated Press reported Thursday.
The ruling marks the first time in modern French history that a former president will serve time behind bars.
The court in Paris said Sarkozy, 70, would not be taken into custody immediately, but will begin serving his sentence on a date to be determined later.
“If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison. But with my head held high. I am innocent. This injustice is a scandal”, Sarkozy said outside the courthouse with his wife, singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, according to AP.
“What they humiliated today is France”, he insisted.
The panel of judges found Sarkozy guilty of criminal association between 2005 and 2007, when he served as interior minister.
