Paris court to debate ex president Sarkozy’s release
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s request to be released from prison pending an appeal will be heard in a Paris court less than a month after he began a five-year prison sentence for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya.
The 70-year-old former conservative president was found guilty of criminal conspiracy over his close aides’ efforts to secure funds from late dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential run.
He was acquitted of all other charges, including corruption and illegal campaign financing.
Judge Nathalie Gavarino told the court that Sarkozy’s prison sentence was carried out immediately due to the “extraordinary seriousness” of the crime.
He was imprisoned in La Sante prison in Paris last month; This is a staggering decline for a man who managed France from 2007 to 2012.
Sarkozy has consistently denied injustice and appealed, calling himself a victim of revenge and hatred. He will not attend the hearing but will be represented by lawyers in the appeals court.
Lawyer Christophe Ingrain said after Sarkozy’s imprisonment that his client did not meet any of the legal grounds for “temporary detention” and had always complied with the judicial process.
In French criminal law, these justifications include preventing the continuation of the crime or ensuring the defendant’s presence in the justice system.
If the court agrees to release him, Sarkozy may be required to wear an electronic tag, deposit some money or check in regularly with authorities.
Sarkozy has faced many legal battles since leaving office. Last year, France’s highest court upheld his conviction for corruption and influence peddling and ordered him to wear an electronic tag for a year, a first for a former French head of state. The tag has now been removed.
Also last year, an appeals court upheld a separate conviction for illegal campaign financing for his unsuccessful 2012 re-election campaign. France’s highest court’s final decision on the case is expected this month.
