Sarkozy Guilty of Criminal Conspiracy, Sentenced

A Paris criminal court found former president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy over allegations that Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi helped fund his 2007 presidential campaign and sentenced him to five years in prison, ordering a special form of custody that must be enforced even if he appeals. The court fined him €100,000 and banned him from holding public office, but acquitted him of corruption and of personally accepting illegal campaign financing, saying there was no proof Libyan funds were ultimately used in the 2007 election. Other defendants, including Alexandre Djouhri, Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, received prison terms. Prosecutors said Sarkozy and aides struck a pact with Gaddafi in 2005 and had sought up to seven years. Sarkozy, 70, vowed to appeal, and prosecutors have one month to notify him when to report; the verdict came days after the death in Beirut of Ziad Takieddine, a key accuser who had claimed to deliver millions from Gaddafi before later retracting his statements.