The legal sagas of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy are far from over as he faces a litany of judicial battles in the coming year – a year in which he will be wearing an electronic tag, after his corruption conviction was upheld by France's highest court.
France's highest appeals court on Wednesday confirmed a verdict against Nicolas Sarkozy for corruption and influence peddling, ordering him to wear an electronic tag for a year – a first for a former head of state.
In 2021, the former president was found guilty of having attempted – with his lawyer Thierry Herzog – to obtain information from a high-ranking magistrate on an appeal to the Supreme Court that he had lodged in the so-called Bettencourt affair, in exchange for a judicial position in Monaco.
In May 2023, Sarkozy was sentenced on appeal to three years' imprisonment, including one year to be served wearing an electronic tag, for corruption and influence peddling.
Ex-president Sarkozy to wear electronic tag as court upholds corruption conviction
And heading into the new year, Sarkozy's legal challenges are far from over, as he faces trial over the accusations around Libyan financing of his successful 2007 presidential campaign.
It is alleged that Libyan dictator Muammar Kadhafi, who was assassinated in 2011, bankrolled the campaign, allegedly forging a clandestine pact with Sarkozy when he was then minister of the interior.
This alleged agreement promised Gaddafi diplomatic leverage in exchange for electoral support – "a fable" according to Sarkozy.
Despite investigations going back more than a decade, concrete evidence of such financing – estimated at several million euros – has remained elusive.
Yet, the prosecution has suggested that external contributions, primarily from Libya, could have similarly inflated Sarkozy's 2012 election campaign fund.
The trial, scheduled from 6 January to 10 April, 2025, involves Sarkozy and 12 others, including former ministers Claude Guéant and Brice Hortefeux.
If found guilty, he faces 10 years in prison, a ban on holding office for five years and a €375,000 fine.
Bygmalion, Libya, Bismuth: the trials and tribulations of Nicolas Sarkozy
'Saving Sarkozy'
Allegations of fraudulent manoeuvers in order to have the accusations of Libyan financing retracted add another layer to Sarkozy’s judicial woes.
Dubbed the "Saving Sarkozy" operation, these allegations involve several suspects, including media figures and intermediaries known for previous fraudulent activities.
Investigations are also probing Sarkozy's consultancy business with Russian oligarchs and suspected influence peddling, alongside a controversial meeting concerning the award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Despite these legal challenges, Sarkozy has seen certain inquiries closed, such as those concerning private jet trips and financial irregularities in the 2012 campaign.
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Excessive expenses
On 14 February this year, the former head of state was sentenced on appeal for illegal campaign financing to one year's imprisonment, including six months under electronic monitoring, in the Bygmalion affair, over the excessive expenses of his failed 2012 presidential re-election campaign.
Here too, the former president appealed to the French Supreme Court in November, but a date for hearing the has not yet been set.
