Former French President Sarkozy sentenced to prison
By Zack Budryk - 03/01/21 09:29 AM EST Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday was sentenced to three years in prison with two years suspended after a court found him guilty on corruption and influence-peddling charges.
In a Monday afternoon ruling, the court agreed with prosecutors that the former president formed a “corruption pact†with his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, and a senior magistrate to secure a job for the magistrate in exchange for providing information on an investigation into Sarkozy, The Guardian reported.
Herzog and the magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, received similar sentences, according to the newspaper. Sarkozy is likely to appeal the conviction.
The former president is unlikely to spend any time behind bars. In addition to the suspended two years, the sentence can be served under limited house arrest or with an electronic monitor.
However, the conviction and sentencing will likely doom his chances of mounting a return to politics with Les Républicains, his center-right political party. Sarkozy had retired from politics after his defeat for reelection in 2012 but returned to leadership of the party in 2014 before leaving again in 2016.
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https://thehill.com/policy/international/europe/540971-former-french-president-sarkozy-sentenced-to-prison
