Nicolas Sarkozy became on Wednesday, the first former president of the French Republic to be sentenced to prison. A Paris court re-sentenced Sarkozy in the appeal trial to three years in prison for corruption and influence peddling, one year of which must be served. The sentence, which may be appealed before the Court of Cassation, stipulates that the one-year prison sentence which must be served, may be avoided if he wears an electronic bracelet to monitor his movements, an unprecedented decision for a former head of state.
The conviction in the so-called "wiretapping case," linked to the financing of his 2007 election campaign, is one of the legal cases that have been pursuing him for years. Sarkozy has always considered himself the victim of political persecution and has always defended his innocence and honorability.
His lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, immediately announced an appeal and used very harsh words against the court, which she accused of "giving moral lessons" and of "not applying the law." She added that her client is innocent of the facts of the events of which he is accused and warned that they will go "to the end and the law will triumph."
