France's highest court for civil and criminal cases on Wednesday upheld a verdict against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence-peddling, reported Xinhua.
In 2021, a lower court found that Sarkozy and his former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, had in 2014 formed a "corruption pact" with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and share information about another legal investigation involving the former president, according to the French daily Le Monde.
Finding Sarkozy guilty, the court then handed a three-year sentence to Sarkozy, during which he would only need to serve one year of house arrest with an electronic bracelet.
Sarkozy appealed against his 2021 conviction. In 2023, the Court of Appeal of Paris upheld the verdict.
With the Cour de Cassation's ruling on Wednesday, Sarkozy has become the first former French president who has been convicted of corruption and sentenced to prison in France.
President from 2007 to 2012, Sarkozy faces multiple legal cases. A trial will start in 2025 over allegations that he had accepted money from Libya to fund his 2007 campaign.
- Ex French President
- Sarkozy
- Corruption
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
