France's Sarkozy loses corruption appeal, must wear electronic tag
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FRENCH former president Nicolas Sarkozy lost his appeal against a 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling at the Paris Court of Appeals on Wednesday (May 17).
His legal team plans to challenge the verdict at France’s highest court.
Sarkozy’s lawyer said he had committed no wrongdoing and described the ruling as “stupefying.”
“Nicolas Sarkozy is innocent of the charges (he has been convicted of),” defence lawyer Jacqueline Laffont said. “We will not give up this fight”.
Sarkozy left the court without speaking to reporters.
Earlier the Appeals court upheld a three-year prison sentence. It said two of those years were suspended and that Sarkozy would wear an electronic bracelet instead of going to jail for the remaining year.
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Sarkozy arrived in court wearing a dark grey suit and appearing nervous. He fistbumped his lawyers and smiled occasionally as he took his seat before proceedings started.
A lower court in 2021 had found Sarkozy guilty of trying to bribe a judge after leaving office, and of peddling influence in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into his 2007 campaign finances.
It marked a stunning fall from grace for a former president who once bestrode the world, and is one of several legal battles Sarkozy has been fighting over the past decade.
Sarkozy, 68, who served one term as French president from 2007 to 2012, has constantly denied any wrongdoing. REUTERS
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