Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Parish court after being found guilty of receiving illegal campaign funds from Libya.
In an unexpected decision, the court on Thursday, September 25 ruled that Sarkozey, who was president from 2007-12 must go to prison even if he files against the verdict.
As per multiple reports, he was also ordered to pay a fine of €100,000 ($117,000, £87,000).
However, the Paris court cleared Sarkozy of the remaining accusations including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing.
Speaking after Thursday's hearing, the 70-year-old said the verdict was "extremely serious for rule of law," as per BBC.
Sarkozy insist the case against him is driven by politics but prosecutors accused him of taking money from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 presidential campaign.
In return, they claim Sarkozy agreed to support Gaddafi by improving his image and standing with Western nations where he was considered an outcast.
The judge stated that Sarkozy permitted his aides to seek money from Libyan officials for his campaign but the court found that there wasn’t enough proof that he personally got or used the illegal funds.
Sarkozy may have to go to prison in Paris soon, which would be the first time a former French president has been jailed.
