A French court on Monday, 1 February, convicted former France President Nicolas Sarkozy on corruption charges and sentenced him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence, AP reported.
The former leader, who was in office from 2007-12, was accused of corruption, trying to bribe a judge and influence peddling and went on trial on 23 November 2020.
His conviction came for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate about a legal action in which he was involved, in return for which he offered a prestigious job.
However, Sarkozy reportedly tried to dismiss the conversations about the above as “chatter” misinterpreted by prosecutors, reported Bloomberg.
“Sarkozy used his status as former French president,” said Presiding Judge Christine Mée, according to Bloomberg, adding that his action was “particularly serious.”
Sarkozy’s trial was a landmark case in France, as he became the first ex-president in modern France to appear in court.
Former President Jacques Chirac was found guilty in 2011, but he had been too unwell to be present in court.
Bloomberg reported that despite the one-year prison sentence handed out to Sarkozy, it was unlikely that he would serve it. According to AP, Sarkozy will be able to request to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet.
(With inputs from The Associated Press and Bloomberg.)
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