France’s top appeals court upheld the verdict of former president Nicolas Sarkozy on corruption and influence peddling charges, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year.
Sarkozy had earlier been found guilty of illegally trying to gain the judge’s favour. His lawyer Patrice Spinosi said the former head of state would “evidently” honour the terms of the sentence.
He would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in a few weeks, the lawyer added. However, this would not prevent the execution of Wednesday’s judgement, as Sarkozy had run out of legal options in France.
In 2021, a lower court found that Sarkozy and his former lawyer Thierry Herzog entered into a “corruption pact” with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and share information about a judicial investigation. The court sentenced him to a three-year prison term, two of which were suspended, and one to house arrest with an electronic tag to track his movements.
Despite his legal woes, Sarkozy continues to wield considerable influence and popularity in national-oriented circles in France and enjoys the attention of President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he is known to meet occasionally.
Sources revealed that Sarkozy held talks earlier this month in an attempt to convince Macron not to name Francois Bayrou as prime minister. However, the president appointed Bayrou to the post.
