France’s Former President, Sarkozy Loses Corruption Case Appeal

France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, has upheld the corruption conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, rejecting his appeal.

The ruling, delivered on Wednesday, requires the former leader to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for one year.

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Sarkozy, 69, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, decried the decision as a “profound injustice” and announced his intention to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

Despite this, the verdict will be enforced, as Sarkozy has exhausted all legal avenues within France.

The conviction stems from a 2014 incident, two years after Sarkozy left office, in which he attempted to bribe a judge by offering assistance in securing a prestigious position in exchange for insider information about an unrelated legal case.

Originally sentenced in 2021 to three years in prison, two of those years were suspended, with the remaining year converted to electronic monitoring.

Judge Christine Mée, who presided over the 2021 trial, emphasized that Sarkozy “knew what [he] was doing was wrong,” and criticized his actions, along with those of his lawyer, for damaging public trust in the justice system. Sarkozy was convicted of influence-peddling and violating professional secrecy.

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, confirmed that the former president would comply with the sentence. However, the legal battle marks a significant chapter in France’s judicial history.

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Sarkozy’s conviction in 2021 was a landmark ruling, as it was only the second time a French president faced criminal punishment after leaving office.

The first was Jacques Chirac, Sarkozy’s predecessor, who received a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for creating fictitious jobs at Paris city hall during his tenure as mayor. Chirac passed away in 2019.

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