Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy convicted for illegal campaign financing

A Paris court on Thursday found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy over allegations that he accepted illegal campaign funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during his 2007 presidential campaign.

Sarkozy, who attended the hearing in person, was acquitted on a separate charge of corruption. Judge Nathalie Gavarino stated that he had “allowed his close aides (…) to act with a view to obtaining financial support” for his campaign.

Sentencing is expected later in the proceedings, with prosecutors seeking a seven-year prison term for the former French leader, who governed from 2007 to 2012.