Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in connection with attempts to secure campaign funding from Libya, which will make him the country's first ex-president to serve time behind bars.
The sentence was harsher than many expected and marked a spectacular downfall for Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012. He will spend time in jail even if he appeals the ruling, which he said he would do.
As he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy, visibly moved, expressed his anger at what he said was a "scandalous" ruling.
"If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high," he told reporters, adding that he was innocent. "I will not apologize for something I didn't do."
"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 said of the ruling, as his model and singer-songwriter wife Carla Bruni stood by him.
