The highest appeals court in France has upheld a ruling against former president Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling, requiring him to wear an electronic tag for a year—an unprecedented penalty for a former head of state.
Sarkozy, previously convicted for illicitly seeking favors from a judge, will “clearly” comply with the terms of the conviction following the Court of Cassation’s ruling, according to his lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, who spoke to AFP.
However, Mr. Spinosi noted that Sarkozy plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights within weeks.
Sarkozy has expressed that he is the victim of a “profound injustice” after the court affirmed a corruption ruling that mandates him to wear an electronic tag for a year.
This appeal to the Strasbourg-based ECHR will not delay the enforcement of the ruling. The sanctions are now effective, as Sarkozy has exhausted all legal options within France regarding this case.
Spinosi remarked that it was a “sad day” when “a former president must seek recourse before European judges to address a verdict against a state he once led”.
In 2021, a lower court determined that Sarkozy and his former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, had engaged in a “corruption pact” with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and disseminate information regarding a legal investigation.
The court imposed a three-year prison sentence on him, with two years suspended and one year to be served under home detention with an electronic tag to monitor his movements.
This ruling had been reaffirmed by an appeals court the previous year.
Additional pending cases
Sarkozy, aged 69, has consistently maintained his innocence, with his lawyer asserting that he will “not abandon this fight”.
The conservative served a single term as president from 2007 to 2012, failing to secure re-election, and has faced ongoing legal challenges since leaving office.
The latest scandal, referred to as “Bismuth”, adds to other investigations concerning campaign finance violations and the alleged financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign by Libya.
If found guilty in the Libya case, Sarkozy could potentially face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Despite his legal dilemmas, Sarkozy retains significant influence and popularity within the right-wing faction of French politics and has maintained a relationship with President Emmanuel Macron, who is known to meet with him occasionally.
Sources have informed AFP that Sarkozy engaged in discussions at the Élysée earlier this month in an effort to persuade Mr. Macron against appointing veteran centrist François Bayrou as prime minister, a figure Sarkozy is widely known to dislike.
Nonetheless, after much deliberation, Mr. Macron proceeded to appoint Mr. Bayrou.
