That must happen within a month. French media said Sarkozy would be summoned on 13 October to be told when he would be jailed.

‘Scandalous’ ruling, Sarkozy says

“What happened today … is of extreme gravity in regard to the rule of law, and for the trust one can have in the justice system,” he said of the ruling, as his wife, model and singer-songwriter Carla Bruni, stood by him.

Sarkozy, who has always denied the charges, was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France’s interior minister. Source: ABACA / Abd Rabbo-Mousse

Sarkozy, who has always denied the charges, was accused of making a deal with Gaddafi in 2005, when he was France’s interior minister, to obtain campaign financing in exchange for supporting the then-isolated Libyan government on the international stage.

But she said Sarkozy was guilty of criminal conspiracy for having let close aides get in touch with people in Libya to try and obtain campaign financing.