Sarkozy maintains his innocence as he declares he will ‘sleep in prison, but with head held high’
Sarkozy highlights that he was acquitted of three out of four charges against him, and only found guilty on charges of “criminal conspiracy” with his associates.
He stresses that his address is well known, and being a public figure, he cannot escape his responsibilities.
He criticises the court’s decision to send him to prison, but confirms he will “comply with the summons.”
“If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high.”
He notes that as he will have to appear in court before imprisonment, his critics will get their moment.
But adds:
“Those who hate me so much think they can humiliate me. What they have humiliated today is France, the image of France.”
He calls the verdict “scandalous injustice,” says he remains convinced of his innocence and will appeal.
And that’s it. Wow.
Key events
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Latvia says Denmark told allies drone activity linked by ‘state actor’
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Danish police looking into reports of drone sightings over North Sea
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Sarkozy to be given details of imprisonment on 13 October – reports
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Slovakia hopes to find ‘common ground’ with US on Russian energy
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Poland bans pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from territory
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Nicolas Sarkozy given five-year prison sentence after Libya trial – full report
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Slovenia declares Israel’s Netanyahu ‘persona non grata’ with travel ban
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Russia shadows German satellites in space, minister warns, calling for ‘offensive capabilities’ to deter attacks
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Le Pen raises concerns about immediate effect of imprisonment in Sarkozy’s case
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Russian embassy in Denmark dismisses ‘absurd’ suggestions of involvement in drone incidents
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Danish PM, Nato secretary general speak about drone incursions
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Sarkozy’s lawyer tells reporters appeal is being made ‘as we speak’
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Sarkozy maintains his innocence as he declares he will ‘sleep in prison, but with head held high’
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Sarkozy says judgment has ‘extreme consequences’ for rule of law in France, undermines confidence in courts
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Sarkozy jailed for five years – snap analysis
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Sarkozy sentenced to five years in jail – French media
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Nato representatives set to join EU talks on drone wall on Friday
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Drone incursions to be discussed at informal EU summit next week
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Norway seizes drone flying close to Oslo airport
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Sarkozy found guilty of criminal conspiracy in Libya trial, expected to appeal – first report
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Former French president Sarkozy guilty of criminal conspiracy in Libyan campaign financing trial – reports
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What we know so far about drones in Denmark? – summary
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Authorities dealing with ‘professional’ operator, defence minister says
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Denmark considering asking for Nato Article 4 talks, no decision yet, defence minister says
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Morning opening: Denmark faces drones in its airspace once again
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Hybrid incidents ‘here to stay,’ ministers warn, as they plan to step up defence against drones
Latvia says Denmark told allies drone activity linked by ‘state actor’
Denmark has informed its allies that drone incursions that have closed airports in the country are linked to state actors, Latvia’s foreign minister Baiba Braže told Reuters.
“The Danish government said it’s a state activity that operates it,” Braze said in an interview with Reuters. “So we will wait for further assessments from our Danish colleagues, but it’s very clear on allies’ side, on our side, we all have to invest in counter drone capability.“
Let’s see if anyone confirms that on the Danish side.
A police press conference on last night’s Aalborg incidents is about to start imminently, and TV2 says that all party leaders have been summoned for a briefing in the next half hour, so plenty of opportunities for us to get news lines there.
Danish police looking into reports of drone sightings over North Sea
Back to Denmark, we are getting more reports of drone sightings in other parts of the country, including filed by shipping company Esvagt on “several” drones flying above the North Sea last night.
The company’s CEO, Kristian Ole Jacobsen, said “several ships observed something they suspect to be drones,” and they also appeared on the ships’ radars, DR reported.
The claims are being investigated, police said.
Let’s bring you some other reactions to Sarkozy’s verdict (after Le Pen’s comments 14:30).
Laurent Wauquiez, a senior lawmaker in Sarkozy’s Les Républicains party, said:
“Nicolas Sarkozy has always served France with passion and commitment. I would like to reiterate my support and gratitude to the statesman who has given so much to our country, and my friendship for the man himself.“
But Manuel Bompard, a far-left MP for Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise, had a very different opinion on the issue, as he said:
“The allegations against Nicolas Sarkozy are extremely serious. I hope that those who defended him, such as (Interior Minister) Mr Retailleau, will accept the decision. The France of honest people must begin with the members of his party”.
Sarkozy to be given details of imprisonment on 13 October – reports
Nicolas Sarkozy has been summoned for 13 October to find out the date of his imprisonment, Le Monde, Libération and BFM TV are reporting via sources close to the former president.
This is yet to be officially confirmed.
Slovakia hopes to find ‘common ground’ with US on Russian energy
Slovakia expects to find “common ground” with the United States after pressure to end Russian energy purchases, Slovak prime minister Robert Fico said as he defended receiving supplies from Moscow, Reuters reported.
The European Union has sought to isolate Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and to phase out purchases of Russian fuel that can provide revenues for the war.
US president Donald Trump has also repeatedly said he wants the bloc to end its Russian energy purchases, suggesting his further pressure on Russia could be conditional on EU making progress on this.
In a question-and-answer session with lawmakers, Fico said Slovakia’s oil and gas purchases amounted to 2% of Russia’s revenue from these sources and have “no impact on financing the war.”
“The problem of oil and gas in Slovakia is not a question of supporting the war. It is not an ideological question that we can solve with alternatives in 15 seconds. It is a geographical issue, we simply do not have other options,” Fico said.
Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has also said that Hungary’s energy supply cannot be guaranteed without Russian gas and oil imports.
The Paris criminal court found the former French president Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of receiving millions of euros in illegal election campaign funding from the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi on Thursday.
In a surprise ruling, the head judge, Nathalie Gavarino, handed down a special form of sentence that means Sarkozy, 70, will have to serve a prison term even if he appeals. Sarkozy was also ordered to pay a €100,000 (£87,000) fine. Here is the Guardian’s video report on the story:
Germany will spend €35bn ($41bn) on space defence by 2030, defence minister Boris Pistorius said on Thursday, citing the threat posed by Russia and China.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), he said:
Russia and China have in recent years rapidly expanded their capabilities for conducting warfare in space.
They can disrupt, jam, manipulate or even physically destroy satellites. In space, there are no borders or continents.
Pistorius said “we are establishing structures within the German armed forces to enable us to effectively defend ourselves and deter potential adversaries in space”.
Germany’s space security architecture would comprise “a resilient system of satellite constellations, ground stations, secure launch capabilities and related services” as well “cybersecurity for all space systems”.
Germany was also “improving our situational awareness in orbit through the use of radar, telescopes and the future deployment of space surveillance satellites”.
Pistorius said that “by 2030 alone, we plan to allocate €35bn in budget funds to relevant projects”.
Poland bans pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from territory
Poland has banned pro-Russian Moldovan politician Irina Vlah from its territory for five years, the foreign ministry said on Thursday, accusing her of helping Moscow interfere in Moldova’s parliamentary elections.
Moldova holds a high-stakes parliamentary election on Sunday that could determine the fate of its hope to join the European Union, amid what officials have described as a Russian campaign to sway the vote and sabotage the EU accession plan.
Poland has been a staunch supporter of Moldova joining the EU, and prime minister Donald Tusk visited Chișinău alongside French and German leaders in August in a show of support for pro-western president Maia Sandu and her allies.
According to Reuters, the foreign ministry said in a statement:
Irina Vlah, a Moldovan politician who is assisting the Russian federation in interfering with preparations for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, will be banned from entering the territory of the Republic of Poland.
The Russian federation is interfering in an unprecedented and illegal manner in political processes, including, in particular, preparations for the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova.
Moscow denies meddling in Moldova’s affairs and says Chișinău is stoking anti-Russian sentiment for political purposes.
Vlah is the leader of the Heart of Moldova Republican party and one of the leaders of the pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc.
Canada and Lithuania have already banned Vlah from their territory.
About 30,000 consumers in Ukraine’s northern city of Chernihiv and the surrounding district are facing power cuts after a Russian attack on critical infrastructure, a local official said on Tuesday, reports Reuters.
The attack caused a fire, he added on Telegram messenger, saying there were no casualties.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz called for “effective deterrence” by Nato on Thursday in response to repeated airspace violations by Russia.
“We will not allow these attacks to continue,” Merz said at a press conference with state governors, reports Reuters.
The German leader said he found Nato’s position on the matter “absolutely right”, after the alliance warned Russia on Tuesday that it would use “all necessary military and non-military tools” to defend itself.
Nicolas Sarkozy given five-year prison sentence after Libya trial – full report
Angelique Chrisafis
in Paris
The former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been given a five-year prison sentence after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a trial in which he and aides were accused of making a corruption pact with the regime of the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to receive funding for the 2007 French presidential election campaign.
In a surprise ruling, the head judge, Nathalie Gavarino, handed down a special form of sentence that means Sarkozy, 70, will have to serve a prison term even if he appeals.
The start of his sentence will be set at a later date, with prosecutors given a month to inform the former head of state when he should go to prison.
The judge also ordered Sarkozy to pay a €100,000 (£87,000) fine.
He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy but acquitted of corruption, misuse of Libyan public funds and illegal election campaign funding.
Prosecutors had told the court that Sarkozy and his aides devised a “corruption pact” with Gaddafi and the Libyan regime in 2005 to illegally fund Sarkozy’s victorious presidential election campaign two years later.
The court had heard that in return for the money, the Libyan regime requested diplomatic, legal and business favours and it was understood that Sarkozy would rehabilitate Gaddafi’s international image. The autocratic Libyan leader, whose brutal 41-year rule was marked by human rights abuses, had been isolated internationally over his regime’s connection to terrorism, including the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland in December 1988.
Prosecutors accused members of Sarkozy’s entourage of meeting members of Gaddafi’s regime in Libya in 2005, when Sarkozy was interior minister. Soon after becoming French president in 2007, Sarkozy then invited the Libyan leader for a lengthy state visit to Paris, setting up his Bedouin tent in gardens near the Élysée Palace. Sarkozy was the first western leader to welcome Gaddafi on a full state visit since the freeze in relations in the 1980s over his pariah status as a sponsor of state terrorism.
But in 2011, Sarkozy put France at the forefront of Nato-led airstrikes against Gaddafi’s troops that helped rebel fighters topple his regime. Gaddafi was captured by rebels in October 2011 and killed.
The allegations of a secret campaign funding pact with the Libyan regime had been the biggest corruption trial faced by Sarkozy, 70, who was France’s rightwing president from 2007 to 2012.
Slovenia declares Israel’s Netanyahu ‘persona non grata’ with travel ban
Elsewhere, the Slovanian government has issued an effective travel ban against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it was its way of expressing “a clear message” that Slovenia expects Israel to comply with decisions of international courts and human rights.
The decision was confirmed by deputy foreign minister for European affairs Neva Grašič.
The decision follows similar measures against two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, back in July.
Reuters noted that Slovenia, an EU member state which last year recognised a Palestinian state, imposed an arms embargo on Israel in August and introduced a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
Russia shadows German satellites in space, minister warns, calling for ‘offensive capabilities’ to deter attacks
Meanwhile, German defence minister Boris Pistorius warned about the growing threat posed by Russian space activities, citing concerns over two Russian satellites shadowing Intelsat satellites used by German forces and others, Reuters reported.
“Russia and China have expanded their capabilities for warfare in space rapidly over the past years: They can disrupt satellite operations, blind satellites, manipulate or kinetically destroy them,” he told a space conference in Berlin.
Pistorius underscored the need for talks on developing offensive capabilities in space as a deterrent, pointing to Russia’s use of two of its Luch Olymp satellites to track Intelsat satellites.
Le Pen raises concerns about immediate effect of imprisonment in Sarkozy’s case
In first reaction to the French court’s ruling in Sarkozy’s case, the far-right leader Marine Le Pen sided with him in expressing concerns about the immediate execution of his imprisonment.
Le Pen, well familiar with court procedures given her own legal cases, said on X:
“[Looking] beyond the person of the former President Nicolas Sarkozy, the negation of the double degree of jurisdiction through the [broader use] of provisional enforcement by certain jurisdictions represents a great danger with regard to the great principles of our law, first and foremost among which is the presumption of innocence.”
In March, Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of European parliament funds on a vast scale, a conviction for which she was also handed a four-year prison sentence, with two of those years suspended and two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet. She was also ordered to pay a €100,000 (£84,000) fine.
Crucially, the associated five-year ban on running for public office was also ordered to kick in with immediate effect, meaning it will apply even though Le Pen is appealing against the verdict.
Russian embassy in Denmark dismisses ‘absurd’ suggestions of involvement in drone incidents
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Denmark dismissed suggestions that Russia was behind the drone sightings near Danish airports and military bases.
In a statement on Telegram, it said:
“It is evident that the incidents involving reported disruptions at Danish airports are a staged provocation.
Undoubtedly, they will be used as a pretext for further escalating tension in the interests of forces seeking by all means to prolong the Ukrainian conflict and extend it to other countries.
The Russian side firmly rejects the absurd speculations of involvement in the incidents.”
Danish PM, Nato secretary general speak about drone incursions
Meanwhile, we have an update on Denmark, with the country’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen saying she spoke with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte this afternoon to discuss recent drone incursions into Danish airspace.
“Just spoke with @SecGenNATO about the serious situation related to drones over Danish airports. We agreed that Nato would work with Denmark on what we can do together to ensure safety and security,” Frederiksen said in a social media post.
Rutte said the alliance takes the situation “very seriously,” stressing that “Nato allies and Denmark are working together on how we can ensure the safety and security of our critical infrastructure.”
Sarkozy’s lawyer tells reporters appeal is being made ‘as we speak’
Sarkozy’s lawyer Christophe Ingrain strikes a similar tone in his comments to reporters, arguing that as Sarkozy never evaded the court and respected its summons, it feels excessive to send him to prison immediately, regardless of the appeal.
He repeats the same point about Sarkozy being acquitted of three out of four charges, and “yet he gets sentenced to a heavy prison sentence with imminent execution.” “That’s an incredible contradiction,” he says.
He says his client remains “combative” and confident of his innocence.
He says the appeal is being made “as we speak,” with the timeline for next steps to be decided by judicial processes.
Sarkozy maintains his innocence as he declares he will ‘sleep in prison, but with head held high’
Sarkozy highlights that he was acquitted of three out of four charges against him, and only found guilty on charges of “criminal conspiracy” with his associates.
He stresses that his address is well known, and being a public figure, he cannot escape his responsibilities.
He criticises the court’s decision to send him to prison, but confirms he will “comply with the summons.”
“If they absolutely want me to sleep in prison, I will sleep in prison, but with my head held high.”
He notes that as he will have to appear in court before imprisonment, his critics will get their moment.
But adds:
“Those who hate me so much think they can humiliate me. What they have humiliated today is France, the image of France.”
He calls the verdict “scandalous injustice,” says he remains convinced of his innocence and will appeal.
And that’s it. Wow.
Sarkozy says judgment has ‘extreme consequences’ for rule of law in France, undermines confidence in courts
Sarkozy is now speaking to reporters.
He calls it a decision with “extreme consequences for the rule of law and the trust we can have in the justice system.”
