The historic ruling made Sarkozy the first former president of modern France sentenced to actual time behind bars. In a major surprise, the court ruled that the 70-year-old will be incarcerated despite his intention to appeal. It said the date of his imprisonment would be decided later, sparing the conservative leader the humiliation of being led from the packed courtroom in handcuffs. The court found Sarkozy guilty of criminal association in a plot from 2005 to 2007 to finance his winning campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours. It cleared him of three other charges including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealing the embezzlement of public funds. Sarkozy denounced the ruling. "If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison. But with my head held high. I am innocent. This injustice is a scandal," he said with his wife, the singer and model Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, at his side.

"I ask the French people — whether they voted for me or not, whether they support me or not — to grasp what has just happened. Hatred truly knows no bounds," he said. The court described his behaviour as "exceptionally serious" and said his involvement in efforts to raise campaign funds from Libya were "capable of undermining the citizen's trust in public institutions." "The goal of the criminal conspiracy was to give you an advantage in the electoral campaign," the court ruled. (Jamaica Gleaner)