From the BBC:
“Trial of
ex-president Sarkozy a landmark for France”
He was
nicknamed the "bling-bling" president for what many in France saw as
his lavish tastes - but now Nicolas Sarkozy faces the stark reality of a
soulless courtroom. He has gone on trial accused of corruption and
influence-peddling, for allegedly trying to bribe a magistrate in return for
information about an investigation into his party finances. Mr Sarkozy is the
first ex-president in modern France to appear in the dock. He led France from
2007 to 2012. His first court appearance was brief, however. The session was
suspended after 30 minutes - until Thursday - because a key figure in the case,
former senior judge Gilbert Azibert, is required to have a medical examination.
He is 73 and did not appear in the dock with his co-accused - Mr Sarkozy, 65,
and the ex-president's former lawyer Thierry Herzog. There is a question mark
over the court proceedings because of the general coronavirus disruption. The
trial is set to run until 10 December. If found guilty, Mr Sarkozy could face a
10-year prison sentence and €1m (£889,000) fine. Another former right-wing
president, Jacques Chirac, was given a two-year suspended prison sentence in
2011 for diverting public funds and abusing public trust. The offences dated
back to his time as mayor of Paris. But he did not appear in court, owing to
ill health. He denied wrongdoing.
What's this case
all about? French magistrates have spent years investigating allegations of
corruption dating back to Mr Sarkozy's election campaigns and period in office.
This case is linked to a long-running investigation into the right-wing
politician's suspected use of secret donations to fund his 2007 presidential
campaign. The prosecution alleges that Mr Sarkozy and lawyer Thierry Herzog
sought to bribe Gilbert Azibert with a prestigious job in Monaco in return for
information about that investigation. It is known as the "wiretapping
case" in France, because phone calls between Mr Sarkozy and Mr Herzog were
tapped in 2013-2014, in which Mr Sarkozy used the alias "Paul
Bismuth" and they discussed Judge Azibert. French media report that Mr
Sarkozy was heard telling Mr Herzog "I'll get him promoted, I'll help
him." Mr Sarkozy denies any wrongdoing - and he points out that Judge
Azibert did not get the Monaco position. "Gilbert Azibert got nothing, I
made no approach [on his behalf] and I've been rejected by the Court of
Cassation," Mr Sarkozy said in 2014, referring to his battle to clear his
name. In October 2013 magistrates dropped him from their investigation into
claims that he had accepted illicit payments from L'Oreal heiress Liliane
Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign.
What are Mr
Sarkozy's other trials and tribulations? Prosecutors suspect that Mr Sarkozy
and several associates received millions of euros of Libyan cash to fund his
2007 presidential campaign. At that time the late Libyan dictator Col Muammar
Gaddafi was in power. In 2018 Mr Sarkozy was charged with corruption, illegal
campaign financing and benefiting from embezzled public funds. Last month,
magistrates also charged him with "membership in a criminal
conspiracy". The charges could lead to a trial. Mr Sarkozy has rejected
all the charges .In January this year magistrates also placed a former Sarkozy
aide, Thierry Gaubert, under formal investigation. "My innocence is once
again trampled on by a decision that presents no evidence at all of any illicit
financing," Mr Sarkozy wrote on Facebook. In a separate case, he is due to
go on trial from 17 March to 15 April 2021 over the so-called Bygmalion affair,
in which he is accused of having fraudulently overspent in his 2012
presidential campaign. His 2012 re-election bid was unsuccessful.
^ This is
interesting in that it is happening to a former President of France for things
that he did or did not do while French President. ^
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