The court said Sarkozy struck a covert deal with officials from Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, exchanging political favours for millions in campaign cash. Judges cleared him of other corruption charges but ordered him to pay a €100,000 fine alongside the jail term.
Sarkozy called the ruling a “national humiliation” and vowed to appeal: “If they want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail — but with my head held high.”
Two of his closest allies were also convicted: former interior minister Claude Guéant received six years, while Brice Hortefeux was given two years under house arrest.
The verdict marks the first time a modern French president has been sentenced to prison, further tarnishing Sarkozy’s legacy after previous convictions in the “Bismuth” and “Bygmalion” scandals.
