Sarkozy jailing reignites debate over French political justice ahead of Le Pen appeal

PARIS (Reuters) -Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's prison sentence has deepened divisions in France over judges' handling of political wrongdoing, months before far-right chief Marine Le Pen attempts to overturn an embezzlement conviction and run for top office. A Paris court jolted the political sphere on Thursday when it handed Sarkozy a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy over attempts to raise campaign funds from Libya. Ludovic Friat, the president of the USM, the largest union representing French prosecutors and judges, said the ruling demonstrated that no one was above the law - even if some might choose to question the court's motivation.