Sarkozy vows to appeal against prison sentence for bribery bid
Former French president found guilty of corruption but is determined to prove his innocence, says lawyer
NICOLAS SARKOZY was yesterday sentenced to three years in prison, with two of those suspended, after being found guilty of seeking to bribe a judge.
It makes Sarkozy the first former French president since Nazi collaborationist leader Marshall Philippe Pétain to be handed a prison term.
The former president, who held the office from 2007 to 2012, plans to appeal, his lawyer said.
He looked visibly stunned as the court found him guilty of “corruption and influence peddling” for having tried to illegally obtain information from a senior magistrate in 2014 about a legal action in which he was involved.
However, it is unlikely that the 66-year-old will physically go to jail. Instead, he can request to be detained at home with an electronic tag.
Jacqueline Laffont, Sarkozy’s lawyer, called the verdict “extremely severe” and “totally unfounded and unjustified”, adding that the former president was “calm but determined to continue to prove his innocence”.
Lawyer Thierry Herzog and judge Gilbert Azibert, his co-defendants, were also found guilty respectively of violating professional secrecy and concealing that violation, but were handed the same sentence. Herzog was banned from the bar for five years.
Handing down the ruling, presiding judge Christine Mée said there was a sufficient “body of evidence” pointing to a “pact of corruption” between Sarkozy, his lawyer and the judge.
They had “common interests towards the same aim, namely to obtain a decision in Nicolas Sarkozy’s favour”.
The court said it was clear that the expremier and his lawyer had offered a plum post in Monaco to Azibert in return for information on an inquiry into claims Sarkozy had received illicit payments from Liliane Bettencourt, the late L’oreal heiress, during his 2007 presidential campaign.
As “guarantor of the independence of the justice system”, Sarkozy had “used his status as former president to reward a magistrate who had served his personal interests”, she said. “On top of all that, Mr Sarkozy is a lawyer.”
In breaking the law, he had “gravely damaged the legitimate trust of the French in the justice system”.
Prosecutors had called for Sarkozy to be jailed for four years and serve a minimum of two. The graft and influence peddling charges – among several legal cases against Sarkozy – carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of €1million (£864,000).
Herzog has appealed the sentence and Azibert is expected to join Sarkozy and do likewise.
Sarkozy’s entourage rushed to his defence after the ruling, with wife Carla Bruni-sarkozy saying: “What insane relentlessness. The fight continues. The truth will see the light of day.”
Christian Jacob, head of The Republicans, Sarkozy’s Right-wing party, tweeted his “unstinting support for Sarkozy” saying “the severity of the sentence is totally out of proportion”.
‘[They had] common interests towards the same aim, to obtain a decision in Nicolas Sarkozy’s favour’
Sarkozy had denied any wrongdoing, insisting he had been “dragged through the mud for six years” and “never committed the slightest act of corruption”.
The verdict seriously compromises Sarkozy’s legacy and any hopes of a political comeback. The ex-president, who has enjoyed a surge in popularity since releasing his bestselling memoirs, has hinted he could return to the front line in case of a grave national crisis.
He also faces charges over allegations that he received around £45million in funding from Muammar Gaddafi towards his 2007 election campaign, and he is also accused of fraudulently overspending on his failed 2012 reelection bid. The so-called Bygmalion trial is due to start on March 17.
In January, Sarkozy was also placed under preliminary investigation for “influence peddling” over a €3 million contract with a Russian insurance company.
The inquiry by the national financial prosecutor, PNF, is in relation to a contract the Right-winger signed with Russian group Reso-garantia.