Bribery affair: Ex-President Sarkozy has to serve a sentence with an ankle bracelet

France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy must serve a one-year prison sentence with an ankle bracelet at home for bribery and illicit influence peddling. The Court of Cassation, the highest French court, confirmed a corresponding ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal from last year. This sentenced the conservative to three years in prison, two of which were suspended. Sarkozy is allowed to serve the other year at home under electronic surveillance. He cannot move freely at will. The judgment is final with today’s decision.

The case was specifically about the fact that in 2014 the former president tried, through his long-time lawyer Thierry Herzog, to obtain investigative secrets in another affair from the lawyer Gilbert Azibert. In return, Azibert was offered support in applying for a position in Monaco. Essentially, this behavior endangered the independence of the judiciary, the prosecution argued. Herzog and Azibert were also sentenced in both instances to three years in prison, two of which were suspended. The Court of Cassation confirmed these penalties.

A bitter defeat for the former president

After the appeal court’s ruling, Sarkozy’s lawyer Jacqueline Laffont asserted: “Nicolas Sarkozy is innocent of the crimes he is accused of.” In the appeal process, the former head of state was still able to hope for a more lenient sentence in view of the prosecution’s demands. The lawyer said at the time that he didn’t want to give up the fight. Lawyer Patrice Spinosi said about the new decision that Sarkozy wanted to go to a European court. What is probably meant is the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg.

For Sarkozy, the decision is a bitter defeat. Even in the first instance, the prison sentence against a former head of state was unprecedented in France’s recent history. And there is a further hardship for “Sarko”: According to the ruling, his civil rights are also suspended for three years, which means that he is not allowed to run in elections. A political comeback, which was initially speculated about for a long time after Sarkozy’s departure from the Élysée, did not seem likely recently. The decision now puts further obstacles in the way of such an opportunity.

Sarkozy is struggling with several judicial affairs

The case is far from the only affair for which Sarkozy has to answer. In February, an appeals court sentenced him to one year in prison, including six months probation, for excessive campaign costs for his ultimately failed 2012 re-election campaign. Here too, the former hope of the civil right in France went into appeal. A trial will also begin next year over alleged millions in aid from Libya for the 2007 election campaign. He denies all allegations.

Sarkozy’s term in office in the Élysée Palace from 2007 to 2012 was marked by affairs involving rich friends, nepotism and excessive members of the government. He lost the 2012 election as incumbent against the socialist François Hollande. Five years later he failed in the party’s internal selection process. Despite his legal hurdles and no office, he is still considered a leadership icon by many supporters of the civil right.