Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy don chop five years prison sentence
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy don chop five years prison sentence afta court find am guilty of criminal conspiracy for one wey dey case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from di late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.
Di Paris criminal court acquit am of all oda charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. Di ruling mean say e go spend time for jail even wen e appeal.
Speaking afta Thursday hearing, di 70-year-old, wey be president from 2007 to 2012, say di verdict dey “extremely serious for rule of law”.
Sarkozy, wey claim say di case dey politically motivated, chop accuse say e use di funds from Gaddafi to finance im 2007 election campaign.
In exchange, di prosecution allege say Sarkozy bin promise to help Gaddafi combat im reputation as outcastes wit Western kontris.
Nathalie Gavarino say Sarkozy bin allow close aides to contact Libyan officials wit a view to obtain financial support for im campaign.
But di court rule say enough evidence no dey to find say Sarkozy na di beneficiary of di illegal campaign financing.
Dem also order am to fine of €100,000 ($117,000; £87,000).
Pipo bin shock for court wen di judge read out her sentence.
Dem fit send Sarkozy to prison for Paris in di coming days – wey go be di first di first time for a former French president and humiliating blow for man wey don always tok say im dey innocent of di accusation and oda legal cases against am.
“Wetin happun today… dey of extreme gravity in regard to di rule of law, and for di trust wey one get for di justice system,” Sarkozy tok outside di court building.
“If dem absolutely want make I sleep for jail, I go sleep for jail, but wit my head wey I go hold high”, e tok.
Dem open di investigation for 2013, two years afta Saif al-Islam, son of di then-Libyan leader, first accuse Sarkozy say e take millions of im papa money for campaign funding.
Di following year, Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine – wey bin act as middleman between France and di Middle East for a long time – say e get written proof say Sarkozy campaign bid bin dey “abundantly” financed by Tripoli, and say di €50m (£43m) worth of payments bin continue afta e become president.
Among di odas wey dem accuse for di trial na former interior ministers, Claude Gueant and Brice Hortefeux. Di court find Gueant guilty of corruption, among oda charges, and dem find Hortefeux guilty of criminal conspiracy.
Sarkozy wife, Italian-born former supermodel and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, chop accusation last year say she hide evidence wey dey linked to di Gaddafi case and say she associate wit wrongdoers to commit fraud – but she deny both accusations.
Since e lose im re-election bid for 2012, Sarkozy don dey targeted by several criminal investigations.
E bin also appeal against one February 2024 ruling wey bin find am guilty say e overspend for im 2012 re-election campaign, den hire one PR firm to cova am up. Dem hand am one year sentence, wey dem suspend six months from am.
For 2021, dem find am guilty say e try to bribe one judge for 2014, and e become di first former French president to get custodial sentence. For December, di Paris appeals court rule say e fit serve im time for house and wear tag instead of say make e go jail.