PARIS,France.Dec 18 — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced by the Court of Cassation to one year in prison for corruption and influence peddling, with the obligation to wear an electronic bracelet. This unprecedented sentence for a former French head of state also includes three years of ineligibility. Sarkozy, 69, will be summoned before a judge to determine the terms of the electronic bracelet application. His lawyers have announced that he will “comply” with the sentence but will also appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
Sarkozy was convicted of a “corruption pact” with magistrate Gilbert Azibert, who allegedly provided him with information regarding a trial in exchange for a significant position in Monaco. The case emerged in 2014 from wiretaps conducted by investigators looking into alleged Libyan financing of Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign.