In an unprecedented trial in France, prosecutors accused former French President Nicolas Sarkozy of corruption and abuse of influence for favoritism and asked for a four-year prison sentence, two of which was suspended.
Former French President Suspected of Corruption Leaves Court
After a five-hour prosecution, prosecutors asked for the same sentence as former Supreme Court judge Gilbert Azibert and Sarkozy’s friend and lawyer, Thierry Herzog, who were both convicted in the case. The prosecutor also asked that the latter be banned from exercising his profession for five years.
The prosecutor charged that if the former president had remembered the greatness, responsibility and duties of the presidency, corruption and favoritism would not have occurred.
The prosecutor went on to charge that the Republic does not forget its presidents simply because they made history, but rather that it is intolerable for a former president to forget the Republic he is carrying: the State of Law.
Prosecutors believe the case against Sarkozy undermines the values of the republic, the judiciary, the legal profession and the president’s image.
Sarkozy vehemently denied all charges in his own defense in court Tuesday. Earlier, Sarkozy said he would defend his innocence like an angry lion.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy is suspected of concluding a “corruption pact” during his 2007-2012 presidency to obtain, through his lawyer Herzog, secret information from Supreme Court Justice François Bertani Archibald, who is under judicial protection, about the alleged illegal financing of Sarkozy.
Archibald, in turn, is suspected of providing the information in exchange for a promise to Sarkozy to influence the appointment and removal process for the long-coveted position of Grand Ducal Judge of Monaco, which he did not receive.
In 2014, Sarkozy and Herzog spoke on secret cell phones, registered under the alias “Paul Biros,” to facilitate private meetings. The two explained that they bought the phones to avoid being targeted for illegal wiretapping. The judge suspected that they were actually trying to avoid being wiretapped by investigators.
At the end of the trial, Sarkozy left the courtroom without saying a word. His lawyer charged that the prosecution’s accusations were grossly untrue, that the prosecution had turned a blind eye to numerous flaws, and that the accusations were without merit.
The lawyer said that her client, Sarkozy, was full of information and that it would be “very easy” to drop the prosecution’s case.
The defense will present its case Wednesday through Thursday.
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