March 2 – The Paris Misdemeanor Court of France found former President Sarkozy guilty of “corruption” and “seeking personal gain with power” on the 1st, and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment, including one year’s real sentence.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Jacqueline Lafont, said that he would appeal.
According to France24 on the 2nd, Lafont believes that the ruling of the Paris Misdemeanor Court is “unfair and lacks evidence”, and she also said that Sarkozy is currently “quiet but very firm” and will continue to work hard to prove his innocence.
According to Xinhua News Agency earlier, Sarkozy was accused of illegally accepting funds from the late successor of the L’Oreal Group, Liliana Bedangu, in the 2007 presidential election in 2013.
Sarkozy was also accused of promising to win a high-paying position for Judge Aziber in exchange for inside information related to the above-mentioned case.
On the 1st, the Paris Misdemeanor Court in Paris found Sarkozy guilty of “corruption” and “seeking personal gain with power”.
Presiding judge Christina May said on the same day that Sarkozy “used his identity and political and diplomatic influence to win over judges to meet his personal interests” and that his behavior was “especially serious”.
The court also issued judgments on other persons involved in the case. Sarkozy’s lawyer Thierry Erzog was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended for two years and banned from practicing as a lawyer for five years for corruption and “violation of professional confidentiality”.
Former Senior Judge Gilbert Archibel was sentenced to three years in prison and suspended for two years on charges such as corruption.
According to French law, Sarkozy can appeal within 10 days after the court pronounced the sentence.
