The former French head of state faces a prison sentence. An appeals court upheld the verdict in which Sarkozy was found guilty of bribery of an attorney general. Sarkozy’s defense announced revision.
An appeals court has upheld the conviction of France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy for bribery and trading in influence. In its verdict, the court in Paris upheld the 68-year-old’s sentence of three years in prison, two of which were suspended.
Sarkozy is allowed to serve the one-year prison sentence at home under electronic surveillance. However, whether it will ever come to that is still an open question. The former head of state can appeal the decision.
influence exploited
Two years ago, a lower judicial authority came to the conclusion that Sarkozy had tried, through his lawyer Thierry Herzog, in 2014 – i.e. after leaving the presidency – to bribe the then Advocate General at the Court of Cassation, Gilbert Azibert.
Sarkozy is also said to have used his influence to obtain confidential information about investigations into the financing of his 2007 election campaign. In return, Azibert was offered assistance in applying for a post in Monaco.
Sarkozy endangered the independence of the judiciary
In essence, this behavior endangered the independence of the judiciary, the prosecution argued. Herzog and Azibert were also sentenced to three years in prison each, two of them on probation.
The Court of Appeal upheld these penalties. As the presiding judge Sophie Clément said in the verdict, the crimes committed by Sarkozy are all the more serious because they were committed by a former president.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, told reporters that her client was innocent and announced further legal steps: “For us, the trial is only just beginning.”