France's 23rd president Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty in a corruption case and sentenced to five years in prison. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
This was reported by the Le Monde publication. The case is related to the 2007 presidential elections, and according to the investigation results, Sarkozy's close associates reached an agreement with the Libyan government to finance the pre-election campaign.
It was revealed that the total amount of these funds was 50 million euros. Sarkozy partially admitted to illegal financing but denied the main charges of corruption and financing from Muammar Gaddafi's funds.
During the trial, his closest aides, former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux, were also found guilty. At the same time, Sarkozy denied his guilt and emphasized that the case was initiated for political reasons.
An appeal against the verdict may be filed, which could delay the execution of the sentence. Suspicions related to Libyan funds first emerged in 2011.
Muammar Gaddafi himself had previously admitted that a large amount of money was allocated to support Sarkozy. This verdict is Sarkozy's third court decision.
In 2024, he was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling, and also received a one-year prison sentence in the 2012 "Bygmalion" case. These events caused significant scandals in French politics.
