In a precedent, the first of its kind in France, an appeals court in Paris ruled, on Wednesday, three years in prison, one of them with enforcement, against former President Nicolas Sarkozy on charges of corruption and abuse of influence.
The court also imposed the same sentence on Sarkozy’s lawyer, Tiare Herzog, as well as former Chief Justice Gilbert Azibir.
The ruling replaced the detention of the former president in prison by obliging him to wear an electronic bracelet.
This type of punishment is applied under French law to those whose sentences are less than two years.
In two other rulings, the court decided to strip Sarkozy, 68, of his civil rights for three years, meaning that he wouldn’t be able to run in any elections during this period.
The court also issued a decision banning Attorney Herzog from practicing his work for a period of three years.
The judiciary charged Sarkozy with helping the judge to obtain a high-ranking job in Monaco in exchange for confidential information about an ongoing investigation regarding his election campaigns in the framework of what is known as the “eavesdropping” case.
Sarkozy is the twenty-third president of France, and his term extended between 2007 and 2012.
The former conservative president became subject to many investigations after the end of his term, including a case related to his receiving millions of US dollars in support for his electoral campaign from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
