Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison today, and the news was taken in an interesting manner by the US nation, especially those opposed to Donald Trump.
The former leader from France called out the decision as unfair and slammed the justice system, claiming his innocence. ‘I will sleep in prison with my head held high!’- the former leader shared. He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy over his communications with close aides to procure funds for his 2007 presidential bid from Libya during the rule of late dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy was acquitted by a court in Paris of all the other charges, including corruption and receiving illegal campaign financing.
But the ruling means the former US President will be spending time in jail, even if he opts to launch an appeal over it. This is a sentence that is much harsher than many expected, critics shared. The former French leader had already said he would be appealing the verdict, which he denounced as very serious for the rule of law.
In a small win for the former president, the court ordered that Sarkozy should be placed in custody at a future date. Prosecutors will be provided with one month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison, sparing the 70-year-old the humiliation of being marched out of the courtroom by the cops and going straight to jail.