TRANSCRIPT
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
The conviction relates to illegal campaign funding for his 2007 campaign from Libya's then-leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The sentence, which will soon make Sarkozy the first post-war president of France to be imprisoned, was harsher than many expected and stunned allies and foes alike.
As he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy, expressed his outrage at what he considers a politically motivated ruling, while insisting his innocence.
"I ask the French people, whether they voted for me or not, whether they support me or not, to appreciate what has just happened. Hatred truly knows no bounds. I will take my responsibilities. I will comply with the summonses of justice. And if they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high. I am innocent."
Sarkozy was acquitted by a Paris court of all other charges on Thursday, including corruption and receiving illegal campaign financing.
But the ruling, handed down by head judge Nathalie Gavarino, means the 70-year-old former president will spend time in jail even if he appeals.
Sarkozy was also ordered to pay a A$178,000 fine.
Charles Consigny is a lawyer for one of the defendants in the case and claims Sarkozy's conviction was brought about due to political pressure and hounding from the media.
"I think that the warrant to detain Nicolas Sarkozy was issued because public opinion has been exerting pressure for several years, and certain media outlets and a certain political class, have been exerting pressure for several years to have Nicolas Sarkozy's head. Tonight, they got his head, good for them."
Sarkozy was accused of making a deal with Muammar Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France's interior minister, to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.
The judge says there was no proof that Sarkozy made such a deal with Gaddafi, nor that money sent from Libya reached Sarkozy's campaign coffers.
But she says Sarkozy was guilty of criminal conspiracy for having let close aides get in touch with people in Libya to try and obtain campaign financing.
Sandra Cossart, executive director of the anti-corruption NGO Sherpa says it's a positive outcome and a reminder that no one is above the law in France.
"So it's a strong signal for the state of law. It's a strong signal to say it's the end of impunity, even if you are from the higher stage of the republic. And it's not a political trial. It's a trial for some politicians. It's very different. And it means that now if you are a politician, you should be accountable for what you're doing."
It's marked a spectacular downfall for Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012.
Despite his legal battles and having his Legion of Honour, France's highest distinction, stripped in June; Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the French political stage.
And in Paris, many citizens are divided over the outcome.
Vox pop 1: "I find it regrettable for him, because you don't get sentenced to five years in prison like that if you haven't really done anything. But when you hear him talk, he still seems very innocent."
Vox pop 2: "I think that France has rediscovered its values and I think that the law is made for everyone. So I think that's a good thing."
Prosecutors have been given a month to specify a timeline of when he should go to prison.
Sarkozy says he plans to appeal the verdict.
