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 makes Sarkozy the first president in France’s modern history to be imprisoned, was harsher than many expected and stunned allies and opponents alike.

As he exited the courtroom, Sarkozy, visibly moved, denounced what he called a “scandalous” ruling.

“If they absolutely want me to sleep in jail, I will sleep in jail, but with my head held high,” he told reporters. “I will not apologise for something I didn’t do.”

“What happened today ... is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justi

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