Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison, two suspended and one under house arrest. The former president’s defense will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Paris Court of Appeal has sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to three years in prison for corruption and influence peddling, reports Le Figaro. However, two years are suspended and one will be served under house arrest. His civil rights are suspended for three years, preventing him from running for political office.
Sarkozy thus loses his appeal of a conviction dating back to 2021 for corruption and influence peddling, but has already promised to appeal to the Supreme Court. “Nicolas Sarkozy is innocent of all charges,” defense lawyer Jacqueline Laffont was quoted as saying by Reuters. “We are going to see this through to the end. This is just the beginning.” Reuters reports that Sarkozy, now 68, arrived at court on Wednesday in a dark gray suit and “seemed nervous.” After hearing the verdict, he left without commenting to reporters.
At stake is a process known as “Bismuth”, which involved wiretapping, in which he is accused of having formed a “corruption pact” with his longtime lawyer, Thierry Herzog, and a judicial magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, for information about a court case. investigation into the financing of his 2007 presidential campaign, in exchange for a “help” for a position in Monaco for the magistrate.
The investigation placed hidden microphones on two official telephone lines of the former head of state and accuses Sarkozy of having created a third unofficial line, through which he communicated with Herzog. Sarkozy, who left the presidency in 2012, assured that he “never corrupted anyone.” Azibert and Herzog were sentenced to the same three-year prison term.
Sarkozy faces another trial, called “Bygmalion”, in which he was sentenced to one year in prison in the first instance, a sentence that he also appealed. In that case, the former ruler and the team are accused of spending nearly double the legal limit on the 2012 campaign, in which he sought re-election, and in which he used bogus invoices from a public relations firm called Bygmalion. He has always denied wrongdoing.
The former head of state could still be tried as part of an investigation into the Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign. This case is related to the “Bismuth” process. In 2013, an investigation into Sarkozy’s connections to Libya intercepted the former president’s two official lines and uncovered the third secret line, leading to the corruption investigation.
Source: Observadora
