France's Sarkozy forced to wear monitor after losing court appeal
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Nicolas Sarkozy has been ordered to wear an electronic monitor as he serves his sentence under house arrest.
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives at the courtroom for his appeal trial, on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Paris. (AP)
On Wednesday, France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, upheld the conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling. As part of the sentence, Sarkozy was ordered to wear an electronic tag for a year, making it the first time a former French president was subjected to such a measure.
Sarkozy, who was previously charged with illegally trying to gain favors from a judge, "will evidently" comply with the court's ruling, his lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, told AFP. However, Spinosi mentioned that Sarkozy intends to appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the upcoming weeks.
Nevertheless, the ruling will be implemented immediately, as Sarkozy has exhausted all legal options in France.
In 2021, a lower court found that Sarkozy and his former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, had entered into a "corruption pact" with Judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain confidential information regarding a legal investigation. Sarkozy was sentenced to a three-year prison term, with two years suspended and the remaining year to be served under house arrest with a monitoring device.
Sarkozy has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing, insisting he was innocent. Last year, the Paris Court of Appeals dismissed a previous appeal submitted by the former president.
Despite his conviction, Sarkozy remains widely popular in French politics, and particularly influences current President Emmanuel Macron. Both officials frequently meet, according to AFP.
Sources informed AFP that earlier this month, Sarkozy held discussions at the Elysee Palace to convince Macron not to appoint veteran centrist François Bayrou as prime minister. Despite Sarkozy's efforts, Macron ultimately decided to appoint Bayrou after much hesitation.
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