The court found the ex-French president guilty of criminal association in a plot from 2005 to 2007 to fund his campaign with Libyan money in exchange for diplomatic favors.
A Paris court sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to five years in prison on Thursday, finding him guilty over alleged illegal campaign financing by Libya.
The ruling makes Mr. Sarkozy, 70, the first former French head of state convicted of such a high-level crime.
The the court found him guilty of criminal association in a plot from 2005 to 2007 to fund his campaign with money from the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to secure his 2007 election victory in exchange for diplomatic favors. He has an immediate five-year ban on any public function, and a fine of 100,000 euros.
He was cleared of three other charges, including passive corruption, illegal campaign financing and concealment of embezzled public funds.
Mr. Sarkozy will be incarcerated even if he appeals.
However, the date of his imprisonment will be decided later, meaning he will not be handcuffed and led from court by police.
Mr. Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 and 2012, can appeal the verdict and can request conditional release because of his age.
Under French law, he is to be summoned within one month by the public prosecutor’s office, which will notify him of the date of his imprisonment.
