A court in Paris found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty in a case of corruption and trading in influence. This is reported by AFP at Twitter .
This is the first time in the history of modern France that a former president was put on trial for corruption. In 2011, Sarkozy’s predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was sentenced to two years of probation for embezzlement and abuse of power.
Sarkozy’s trial began at the end of November 2020. Together with the 66-year-old politician, his lawyer Thierry Erzogh and a former high-ranking official of the Court of Cassation Gilbert Azibert were involved in the case.
According to the investigation, through his lawyer, the former French leader could promise Aziber a position in Monaco. In exchange, he was supposed to provide confidential information about another investigation: it concerned allegations of illegal financing of the 2007 Sarkozy presidential campaign by the heiress of the French company L’Oreal Liliane Bettencourt.
In mid-January, it became known that the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office opened another case against Sarkozy. The former president is suspected of illegally promoting the interests of the Russian insurance company RESO-Garantia, with which Sarkozy signed a contract for 3 million euros. The investigation suspects that in fact he did not provide consulting services, but “traded in influence”, lobbying the interests of the Russian oligarchs with the help of his connections.