The former President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, is back in front of the judges. This Monday opens his appeal trial for influence peddling in the so-called “wiretapping” case, alongside two other protagonists. At first instance in 2020, the former head of state was sentenced to three years in prison, including one year. The challenge for Nicolas Sarkozy will be to try to reduce his sentence as much as possible.
In this case, the judges accuse Nicolas Sarkozy of having dangled a high magistrate, Gilbert Azibert, a prestigious post in Monaco in exchange for confidential information. Information related to another procedure in which the former president was then involved.
An attempt at corruption revealed by listening to telephone conversations between Nicolas Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, passed via an occult line opened under the now famous name of “Paul Bismuth”, an assumed name.
In the first instance, Nicolas Sarkozy said he was the victim of a profound injustice, arguing that the magistrate Gilbert Azibert had never had the expected post. Nicolas Sarkozy was then sentenced to three years in prison, including a farm.
The whole issue of this appeal trial will therefore be the quantum of the sentences imposed in the event of a new conviction. Two years ago, with this case “ tapping », Nicolas Sarkozy had become the first former president of the Fifth Republic sentenced to imprisonment.
This appeal trial opens this Monday, December 5 at 1:30 p.m. for ten days at the courthouse on the Ile de la Cité in Paris.
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