"The decision to send former president Nicolas Sarkozy to prison for criminal conspiracy has laid bare France's political divisions. Sarkozy, seen as a mentor to many conservative politicians, was convicted on Thursday over a scheme enabling late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to fund his 2007 presidential run. He must serve his sentence while awaiting the outcome of his appeal, and will be the first French post-war leader to serve jail time."
"Speaking to broadcaster RTL, Henri Guaino, a former adviser to the former president, called the conviction "a humiliation for the state and its institutions". Guaino urged President Emmanuel Macron to pardon Sarkozy, who was president of France from 2007 to 2012, allowing him to avoid prison. In an editorial, conservative French daily described the court ruling as "absurd and incomprehensible", claiming there was no "tangible evidence" of Sarkozy's wrong-doing."
Nicolas Sarkozy was convicted of criminal conspiracy over an alleged scheme that allowed late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi to fund his 2007 presidential campaign and ordered to serve a prison sentence while awaiting appeal. He will become the first French post‑war leader to serve jail time. The conviction intensified political tensions amid a national deadlock and a strengthened far‑right. Former adviser Henri Guaino called the ruling a humiliation and urged President Macron to pardon Sarkozy. Conservative and left‑leaning papers reacted strongly, with one calling the verdict absurd and Liberation warning scandals widen the gap between people and elites. Marine Le Pen criticised provisional enforcement as undermining presumption of innocence.
Read at The Local France
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