French ex-president loses appeal against 3-year sentence over graft

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) — A Paris court of appeals upheld former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year prison sentence on Wednesday, denying his appeal against a 2021 corruption and influence peddling conviction, according to media reports.

Sarkozy, who led the country in 2007-2012, and his lawyer Thierry Herzog were accused of bribing Gilbert Azibert, a former judge in the Court of Cassation, in 2014 to give them information about a judiciary investigation.

In exchange, Sarkozy promised the judge a prestigious position in Monaco, according to the daily Le Monde.

The court sentenced the former president to three years in jail, with two years suspended, on March 1, 2021, said broadcaster BFMTV.

Sarkozy sought to get the verdict overturned but the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed the sentence, which applies to the other two defendants as well.

Becoming the first French president to be convicted for such charges, Sarkozy also faces a three-year restriction on his civic rights, making him ineligible to run for public office in that period.

He will be allowed to serve his time at home, wearing an electronic bracelet for the remaining year instead of going to prison, according to BFMTV​​​​​​​.

His lawyer, Herzog, was also barred from legal practice for three years.