Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday for criminal conspiracy over attempts to raise campaign funds from Libya, a spectacular downfall for the conservative who led France from 2007 to 2012.
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, visibly moved, expressed his outrage at what he said was a "scandalous" ruling.
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