Nicolas Sarkozy
A court in Paris found former French President Nicolas Sarkozy guilty in a corruption and influence trading case. This is reported by AFP on Twitter.
This is the first time in modern French history that a former president has been tried for corruption. In 2011, Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was sentenced to two years in prison for embezzlement and abuse of office.
Trials in the Sarkozy case 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 Sarkozy's 2007 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 Russian oligarchs with the help of his connections.
