Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced Amid Libya Campaign Funding Scandal

Paris, September 25 (AP) - In a notable court decision, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced by a Paris court to five years in prison. This significant verdict has raised eyebrows as the court also ruled that Sarkozy will be incarcerated even if he appeals, after being found guilty on Thursday for alleged illegal campaign financing linked to Libya.

The court has deferred the decision on when Sarkozy, 70, will begin his sentence, sparing him the immediate ignominy of being taken directly from the courtroom to jail. Sarkozy was convicted of criminal association in a scheme linking him—between 2005 and 2007—to financial backing from Libya in his presidential campaign, in return for diplomatic favors. However, he was acquitted of charges including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing, and concealing embezzlement of public funds.

His close associates, former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also found guilty of criminal association, while being acquitted of certain other charges. The court's judgment pointed toward a belief that while the men attempted to procure Libyan funding for Sarkozy's 2007 campaign, there was insufficient evidence to show Sarkozy's direct involvement or confirmation that any such funds were integrated into his campaign efforts.

Among the remarks made by the chief judge during the comprehensive verdict reading was a statement noting that Sarkozy permitted his associates to reach out to Libyan authorities to solicit financial support for his campaign. French law considers a scheme corrupt and criminal, even absent concrete evidence of money exchange.

Sarkozy, flanked by his wife, singer, and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, attended the courtroom proceedings, accompanied by his three adult sons. He retains his status as an influential figure within French right-wing politics and entertainment, despite ongoing legal battles tarnishing his presidential legacy.

The allegations have roots tracing back to 2011 when both a Libyan news agency and the late Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi reportedly claimed Libya secretly provided millions of euros for Sarkozy's 2007 campaign. A French media outlet, Mediapart, in 2012 published a purported Libyan intelligence memo referencing a €50 million funding agreement—a document Sarkozy denounced as counterfeit, and which the court now also deems likely forged.

Another layer of complexity was added in 2016 when Ziad Takieddine, a Franco-Lebanese businessman, claimed he delivered cash from Tripoli to French officials during Sarkozy's tenure as interior minister, which he later recanted. This reversal is now under separate investigation for potential witness tampering, implicating Sarkozy and Bruni-Sarkozy with preliminary charges.

Sarkozy has consistently dismissed these charges as politically motivated, referring to them as a "plot" fueled by fraudulent evidence from the Gadhafi circle, motivated by vengeance for his role in advocating military action against Gadhafi in 2011 amidst the Arab Spring movement.

Additionally, Sarkozy has faced other legal issues; he was stripped of his Legion of Honour medal, previously found guilty of corruption and attempting to bribe a magistrate in 2014. Sentences from these offenses included electronic monitoring, later conditionally released due to his age. He also awaits an appeal outcome for a conviction related to illegal campaign financing in his unsuccessful 2012 re-election attempt.

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