Final Appeal Denied for Ex-French President Sarkozy in Corruption Case
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Paris, Dec 19 (NationPress) France's highest court for civil and criminal cases has upheld a conviction against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence-peddling.
In 2021, a lower court determined that Sarkozy, along with his former attorney, Thierry Herzog, had established a corruption pact in 2014 with judge Gilbert Azibert to procure and disseminate information regarding another legal inquiry involving the ex-president, as reported by the French newspaper Le Monde.
The court found Sarkozy guilty and imposed a three-year sentence, with the stipulation that he would only serve one year under house arrest utilizing an electronic monitoring device, according to Xinhua news agency.
Sarkozy contested his 2021 conviction, but in 2023, the Court of Appeal of Paris reaffirmed the original ruling.
The former president expressed his unwillingness to accept what he termed a profound injustice, indicating his intention to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights.
Initially sentenced to three years in prison in 2021, two of those years were suspended, and the remaining year was converted to electronic monitoring instead of incarceration.
With the ruling from the Cour de Cassation on Wednesday, Sarkozy has made history as the first former French president to be convicted of corruption and receive a prison sentence in France.
Sarkozy was found guilty of attempting to bribe a judge in 2014, after his presidency had concluded, by proposing he could facilitate a prestigious job in exchange for information regarding a separate case.
In the 2021 judgment, Judge Christine Mée remarked that the conservative leader knew his actions were wrong and noted that the behavior of both him and his lawyer presented the public with a very negative perception of justice.
Serving as president from 2007 to 2012, Sarkozy is currently confronting multiple legal challenges. A trial is scheduled to commence in 2025 concerning allegations of accepting funds from Libya to finance his 2007 electoral campaign.
