France’s top court upheld Nicolas Sarkozy’s corruption conviction. eu news
Sarkozy’s lawyer says the former president plans to appeal the decision at the European Court of Human Rights.
France’s highest court has upheld the 2021 conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy on charges of corruption and influence peddling.
The Court of Cassation announced its decision on Wednesday.
Sarkozy appealed against the conviction, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison. Two years were suspended, and Sarkozy would have to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet rather than go to jail for the rest of the year.
Sarkozy’s lawyer Patrick Spinosi said the former president plans to appeal the decision at the European Court of Human Rights.
Sarkozy social media platform
“I want to say once again that I am unequivocally innocent,” he said.
Spinosi confirmed that Sarkozy would abide by the court’s decision and wear an electronic tag.
Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, was found guilty by a lower court of trying to bribe a judge and exert business influence for confidential information about an investigation into his 2007 campaign finance.
The court determined that Sarkozy had conspired to secure a job for Judge Gilbert Azibert in Monaco in exchange for inside information in an investigation into allegations he received illegal payments from L’Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt. Azibert was also convicted of corruption and influence peddling.
Apart from this case, Sarkozy, who retired from public life in 2017, faces other corruption allegations. He is to go on trial next year for alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, which claims it received money from the Libyan government. Sarkozy has denied all the allegations. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail.
Sarkozy’s conviction makes him only the second French president to be found guilty of corruption charges in modern history. His conservative predecessor Jacques Chirac was convicted of corruption in 2011, four years after leaving office.
