5-year jail term for Sarkozy in Libya graft case
Court says his imprisonment will start at a date yet to be fixed
A Paris court on Thursday sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison after finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 campaign with funds from Libya, a verdict that the still-influential conservative leader denounced as “a scandal”.
The historic ruling made Sarkozy the first ex-president of modern France sentenced to actual time behind bars. In a major surprise, the court ruled that the he would be incarcerated despite his intention to appeal. It said his imprisonment would start at a date yet to be fixed, sparing him the humiliation of being led out of the courtroom by police.
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