Overview

• A Paris criminal court convicted Nicolas Sarkozy of criminal association over alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign, while acquitting him of passive corruption and misuse of public funds.
• He is assigned to La Santé prison in the capital, with authorities considering placement in a vulnerable-prisoner unit or isolated housing for security reasons.
• Defense lawyers can request his release from the first day of detention, and the Court of Appeal has up to two months to decide on any suspension or release request.
• The ruling found that Sarkozy and close aides Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux engaged with representatives of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime about campaign funding.
• Sarkozy denies wrongdoing and calls the case a political vendetta, as polls cited by media report a majority of respondents view the decision as justified.