France's former president Sarkozy sentenced to 5 years in jail
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 September 2025
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy had allowed close aides to contact Libyan officials with a view to obtaining financial support for his election campaign. Mr Sarkozy insisted he was innocent and said he would appeal the ruling.
Also in the programme: three days after several world powers recognise Palestinian statehood, Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly via video link, having been barred from entry to the US by President Trump; plus how Zimbabwe aims to become the world’s top supplier of blueberries.
(IMAGE: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, leave the courthouse in Paris, France, 25 September 2025 / CREDIT: YOAN VALAT/EPA/Shutterstock)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.2 | Hello and a warm welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:12.5 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:14.3 | I'm James Menendez. |
| 0:15.7 | Our top story today takes us to Paris because there's been a dramatic conclusion |
| 0:19.4 | to the trial of the former French president |
| 0:21.7 | Nicolas Sarkozy on charges of trying to get money from the late Libyan leader, Moama Gaddafi, |
| 0:27.2 | to finance an election campaign. He's been found guilty of conspiring to elicit those funds |
| 0:33.1 | and sentenced to five years in prison. This is what he had to say after the verdict. |
| 0:42.1 | I will assume my responsibilities. |
| 0:45.0 | I will obey the judicial summons, |
| 0:47.2 | and if they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, |
| 0:49.8 | I will sleep in prison, |
| 0:51.5 | but with my head held high. |
| 0:54.1 | I'm innocent. This injustice is a scandal. |
| 0:58.0 | I will not apologise for something I did not do. Naturally, I will appeal. I will probably have to |
| 1:05.6 | appear in handcuffs before the Court of Appeal. Those who hate me to this extent think they are humiliating me, |
| 1:12.4 | but what they have humiliated |
| 1:14.4 | today is France. |
| 1:16.5 | Well, live to the court in our correspondent |
| 1:18.4 | Hugh Schofield. Hugh, first |
| 1:20.6 | of all, the reaction when the sentence came. |
... |
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