PARIS: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy sought to convince a Paris court to overturn his March 2021 conviction for bribery and influence-peddling in an appeal hearing that started on Monday.
The initial trial saw Sarkozy sentenced to three years in prison, two of them suspended, in a stunning fall from grace for a man who served as president from 2007 to 2012 but is now facing a string of judicial investigations and trials.
The 2021 ruling found that Sarkozy, 67, had tried to bribe a judge after leaving office, and to peddle influence in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into his 2007 campaign finances.
“I’m here to defend my honour, which has been violated. I’m here to convince the court that I did nothing,” Sarkozy, a tremor in his voice, told the appeals court on Monday.
“The words are strong: corruption, influence peddling. I am a former president of the republic, I have never corrupted anyone,” said Sarkozy, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“Am I a serious offender because I’m calling…my lawyer and friend?” he said, referring to phone tapping of conversations with his
lawyer, who was also found convicted, that were critical in the original trial. — AFP
