France’s highest court has affirmed a lower court’s guilty verdict against Nicolas Sarkozy on charges of corruption and influence peddling during his presidency.
The 69-year-old Sarkozy faces a one-year prison sentence, though he’s expected to request home confinement with an electronic monitoring device, an option available for sentences under two years.
Both a trial court in 2021 and an appeals court in 2023 found him guilty of attempting to bribe a judge for confidential information related to an ongoing investigation.
A Court of Cassation statement declared the convictions and sentences final.
Sarkozy, France’s president from 2007 to 2012, retired from public life in 2017 but remains influential within French conservative circles. He recently attended the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening.
In a statement on X, Sarkozy declared he would accept responsibility for the consequences, stating he wouldn’t appeal the ruling but maintains his innocence and believes a grave injustice has been committed.
He intends to pursue the case before the European Court of Human Rights, hoping for a condemnation of France.
He reiterated his complete innocence and expressed unwavering resolve.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, confirmed his client’s compliance with the ruling, implying the former president will wear an electronic bracelet.
This marks the first time a former French president has received a prison sentence for actions taken during their term.
Sarkozy’s predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was convicted in 2011 of misuse of public funds during his time as Paris mayor, receiving a two-year suspended sentence.
Sarkozy has been involved in various other legal proceedings, consistently denying any wrongdoing.
He faces another trial next month in Paris concerning allegations of receiving millions of dollars from Muammar Gaddafi to illegally fund his 2007 campaign.
The corruption case leading to Wednesday’s decision centered on phone conversations from February 2014.
During an inquiry into the financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 campaign, investigators discovered Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, used secret mobile phones registered under the alias “Paul Bismuth.”
Intercepted conversations revealed suspicions that Sarkozy and Herzog offered magistrate Gilbert Azibert a job in exchange for leaked information about a separate case involving Sarkozy. Azibert didn’t receive the position, and proceedings against Sarkozy in that case were dropped.
Prosecutors argued the offer itself constituted corruption under French law, regardless of its outcome. Sarkozy vehemently denied any ill intent.
Azibert and Herzog were also found guilty in this case.