France's highest appeals court, the Court of Cassation, on Wednesday delivered a historic verdict against former President Nicolas Sarkozy. The court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to serve a one-year prison sentence by wearing an electronic ankle monitor instead of being incarcerated.
This decision marks a pivotal moment in French legal history, as it is the first time a former head of state has been sentenced to wear an electronic monitoring device.
The case against Sarkozy stems from his attempts to secure confidential information from a judge, Gilbert Azibert, in exchange for offering support for a prestigious position in Monaco.
This was part of a broader investigation into claims that Sarkozy had accepted illicit payments from L'Oréal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his 2007 presidential campaign. Alongside Sarkozy, both Azibert and Sarkozy's lawyer, Thierry Herzog, were found guilty of corruption and influence peddling.
Sarkozy's legal team, led by lawyer Patrice Spinosi, announced plans to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights, asserting that they would "evidently" respect the terms of the conviction while seeking to prove Sarkozy's innocence through all available legal avenues. Despite these efforts, the ruling remains a severe blow to Sarkozy, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The former president's legal troubles are not limited to this case. He faces additional charges related to excessive campaign costs during his failed 2012 re-election bid and is set to stand trial for alleged illegal financing linked to Libyan funding of his 2007 campaign. If convicted on these charges, Sarkozy could face up to ten years in prison.
This series of legal challenges has effectively ended any prospects of a political comeback for Sarkozy, who served as France's president from 2007 to 2012. His conviction also includes a three-year ban from standing for election, further closing the door on his political ambitions.
The Court of Cassation's decision signifies the independence of the French judiciary and its commitment to holding even the highest-ranking officials accountable for their actions. Sarkozy's case has drawn comparisons to that of his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who was also found guilty of corruption in 2011, four years after leaving office.
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