French former president Nicolas Sarkozy rejects charges of corruption as 'six years of smears'
Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/ AFP
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday rejected “six years of smears” against him in combative first remarks at his landmark trial for corruption.
Mr Sarkozy has faced a raft of investigations since losing his immunity from prosecution after his botched 2012 re-election campaign and has been charged in two other probes.
The 65-year old Right-winger became France’s first modern head of state to appear in the dock last week, going on trial on charges of corruption and influence peddling.
However, the trial was adjourned over health concerns of one of the defendants, who failed to show up.
Mr Sarkozy is accused of offering judge Gilbert Azibert a plum retirement job in exchange for inside information on an inquiry into his campaign finances.
"I don’t accept any of the smears levelled at me over the past six years," said Mr Sarkozy, who was France’s head of state from 2007 to 2012.
He risks a sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of €1 million (£895,000) if convicted.
Mr Azibert and Mr Sarkozy’s lawyer Thierry Herzog are also on trial, which resumed on Monday after the court threw out a request by Mr Azibert’s lawyers to have it postponed on medical grounds.
His defence argued the 73-year-old had health problems that made public appearances risky during the Covid-19 outbreak.
However, a medical exam ordered by the court determined he was fit enough to attend his trial.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy faces a ten-year prison term an €1m fine
Credit: IAN LANGSDON/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Prosecutors argue Mr Sarkozy and Mr Herzog tried to bribe Mr Azibert with a job in Monaco, in return for information on an inquiry into claims the ex-president received illicit payments from late L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt during his 2007 presidential campaign.
Judges bugged a private line between Mr Herzog and Mr Sarkozy — who used a secret phone bought under the alias of former classmate "Paul Bismuth”. They purported the conversations revealed the two men making plans to get Mr Azibert to help sway the inquiry.
Mr Azibert was a senior advisor at France’s highest appeals court at the time. He never got the job in Monaco.
Mr Sarkozy was later cleared of any wrongdoing in the Bettencourt affair.
His lawyers on Monday called for the current case to be dismissed due to “serious” and “repeated” breaches of the rights of the defence.
They argued that eavesdropping conversations between lawyers and their clients was illegal. They also said that financial prosecutors’ unsuccessful bid to find out whether a “mole” had informed Mr Sarkozy and his lawyer that their calls were being bugged had led them to search through the phone records of numerous other lawyers in breach of their rights.
“This investigation is a stain on the justice system and a stain on the entire proceedings,” said defence lawyer Jacqueline Laffont.
Prosecutors dismissed such protests as delay tactics and asked the judge to stick to the main accusations in the case.
The trial continues.
Mr Sarkozy faces other legal woes in the coming months.
Investigators are still probing allegations that he received up to £50 million in funding from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 election campaign. Last month, Mr Sarkozy was charged with "criminal conspiracy" over the affair, meaning he could face trial on four counts.
He he is also accused of fraudulently overspending on the 2012 race. The so-called Bygmalion affair is due to go on trial on March 17. He denies the charges.
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