Overview

• Paris judges convicted Nicolas Sarkozy of association de malfaiteurs and imposed a five-year term with provisional enforcement allowing incarceration before appeals conclude.
• He remains free pending procedures and was photographed in the stands at the PSG–Auxerre match on Saturday night.
• Sarkozy denounces the ruling as a violation of the rule of law and says the provisional enforcement went further than the PNF requested.
• The court said the Mediapart note central to the affair is most likely a fake, which Sarkozy cites to allege manipulation.
• He was acquitted of corruption, handling of stolen goods and illegal financing, has filed an appeal, and says he will not seek a presidential pardon.