France’s highest court on Wednesday upheld the lower court’s verdict convicting former President Nicolas Sarkozy in a corruption case.
The court of Cassation sentenced Sarkozy to wear an electronic bracelet for a year to convict him of corruption and abuse of influence.
The court confirmed the decision challenged by the former French president, which is a three-year prison sentence, and decided that one year should be effective, and compensated imprisonment with an electronic bracelet.
The court also banned Sarkozy from running for high office for three years.
The “bismuth” case dates back to 2014, when Sarkozy and his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, bribed one of the judges of the court of Cassation, Gilbert Azibert, to obtain from him information about the investigations that were then underway in a financial corruption case involving Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement party.
Sarkozy announced that he would “comply” with this punishment, but would resort to the European Court of human rights.
“It is clear that Nicolas Sarkozy will comply with the announced punishment, which is now final,”his lawyer Patrice Spinosi told AFP.
“At the same time, he will turn to the European Court in the coming weeks, as he is entitled to now, to ensure the rights that the French judges deprived him of, “he added. However, the appeal to the European Court does not stop the execution of the sentence.
