A Paris court on Thursday found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal association for attempting to use Libya to finance his campaign illegally, The Associated Press reported. He has been sentenced to five years in jail and fined €100,000 (approximately $117,000).
Although he has indicated he plans to appeal, Sarkozy must still report to jail while his appeal proceeds, which will make him the first former French president to serve time.
Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has been accused of using the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi to fund his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy has denied any wrongdoing and characterized his legal troubles as politically motivated. Speaking to reporters in French after exiting the courtroom, he called his verdict an “injustice” and “a scandal.”









