Former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Corruption Conviction Upheld by France’s Highest Court
The former head of state is facing one year of electronic monitoring after a conviction for corruption and influence peddling.
France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, upheld a decision that found former President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of corruption and influence peddling while in office.
The courts determined that Sarkozy conspired to secure a job for the magistrate in Monaco in exchange for inside information.
Despite vehemently denying the allegations, Sarkozy was sentenced to three years in prison, with two years suspended and the third replaced with electronic monitoring.
A statement from the Court of Cassation confirmed that the convictions and sentences are final.
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Sarkozy argued that his rights as a litigant were violated based on European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and Constitutional Council case law.
In his statement, Sarkozy denied the accusations and vowed to bring the case to the ECHR.
He expressed concern that his appeal to the ECHR might lead to France’s condemnation due to lack of a calm legal analysis.
Investigators Wiretap President’s Phone Calls
The corruption case involved phone calls between Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, in February 2014 during an investigation into his 2007 campaign finances. Investigators discovered that secret phones were used for the calls under the alias “Paul Bismuth.”
Those wiretapped calls led investigators to believe Sarkozy and Herzog promised Azibert a job in Monaco in exchange for confidential information about the campaign finance probe.
Azibert, a senior adviser at France’s highest appeals court at the time, did not receive the job.
Both Azibert and Herzog were convicted of corruption and influence peddling.
Legal proceedings related to Sarkozy’s campaign finances were dropped, with prosecutors determining that the job offer still constituted corruption under French law, despite Azibert not taking the position.
Sarkozy is set to stand trial in 2025 for a separate case involving corruption and illegal financing related to his 2007 presidential campaign allegedly funded by Moammar Gadhafi. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
In his statement on X, Sarkozy expressed confidence that the truth would prevail and emphasized accountability to the French people.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
