Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison after being found guilty on some counts in a trial related to alleged campaign funds from Libya.
The Paris Criminal Court convicted the 70-year-old on Thursday of “criminal conspiracy” but acquitted him of charges of bribery, illegal campaign financing, and benefiting from the embezzlement of public funds.
The court did not suspend any part of the sentence, nor did it modify it to allow for electronic monitoring at home.
The Libya affair revolves around allegations that millions of euros were illegally channelled into Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential election campaign by the regime of then-Libyan ruler Moamer Gaddafi.
In 2016, a witness said that at the end of 2006 or beginning of 2007, he had brought several suitcases prepared in Libya with a total of €5 million ($5.9 million) to the Paris Interior Ministry, which was led by Sarkozy at the time.
According to the indictment, the future president entered into a corruption pact with Gaddafi.
In addition to Sarkozy, 12 other suspects were charged in the mammoth trial, including three former ministers.
The verdict is not yet final, and an appeal is possible. Sarkozy, who was French president from 2007-12, has always denied the allegations.