Sarkozy sentenced to five years' jail for criminal conspiracy

The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said he would “sleep in jail but with my head held high” after receiving a five-year prison sentence for criminal conspiracy yesterday. It was the first time a former head of state had been sent to prison in modern French history.

- Angelique Chrisafis

The verdict and sentencing followed a trial in which he and his aides were accused of making a corruption pact with the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to receive funding for the 2007 French presidential election campaign.

In a surprise ruling, the head judge handed down a special form of sentence that means Sarkozy, 70, will have to serve a prison term even if he appeals against the verdict. She justified the conviction and sentencing on the grounds the offences were of “exceptional gravity” and “likely to undermine citizens’ trust”.

The start of Sarkozy’s sentence will be set at a later date, with prosecutors given a month to inform him when he should go to prison. The judge also ordered Sarkozy, France’s rightwing president from 2007 to 2012, to pay a €100,000 (£87,000) fine.

The prison sentence was harsher than many had expected. As he exited the courtroom, he expressed his anger in typically pugnacious style, telling reporters: “What happened today ... is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system.” He added: “If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high.”