The French Court of Cassation has delivered its verdict in the widely publicised “wiretapping case.”
On Wednesday, 18th December, the court rejected former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s appeal, confirming his conviction for corruption and influence peddling. This decision renders his three-year sentence—one of which is to be served under electronic monitoring—final and without further legal recourse.
While the ruling is definitive, Sarkozy will not immediately be fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. The Court of Cassation must first send its judgment to the Court of Appeal, which will then forward the case details to the Paris Sentence Enforcement Service.
Origins of the “Wiretapping Case”
The case stems from a separate judicial investigation into allegations of Libyan financing for Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign—a matter for which he is set to face trial in early 2025. During the investigation, authorities discovered that Sarkozy had used a covert phone line under the pseudonym “Paul Bismuth” to communicate with his lawyer, Thierry Herzog.
Evidence from conversations in 2013 and 2014 led investigators to conclude that Sarkozy had been involved in a corruption pact. Herzog had reportedly sought Sarkozy’s influence to secure a prestigious post in Monaco for Gilbert Azibert, a magistrate at the Court of Cassation. In return, Azibert was to provide confidential information on the Bettencourt affair, another legal case involving Sarkozy.
A Final Sentence
Sarkozy was found guilty of corruption and influence peddling in both the lower court and the Court of Appeal, which upheld the initial verdict in May 2023. The sentence includes three years of imprisonment, one of which must be served under electronic monitoring, and a three-year ban on holding public office. Sarkozy has also been stripped of his civil rights for the same duration.
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, confirmed that the former president accepts the court’s decision. “Nicolas Sarkozy will, of course, comply with the sentence that is now final,” Spinosi stated. However, he also announced that Sarkozy intends to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). “He will seek assurances of rights denied to him by the French judiciary,” Spinosi added.
Implications of the Verdict
The timing of this verdict is significant, coming just weeks before Sarkozy’s upcoming trial over alleged Libyan financing for his 2007 presidential bid, scheduled to begin on 6 January 2025. This separate case promises to keep the former president in the legal spotlight as it explores allegations of illicit funds channelled from the regime of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The Court of Cassation’s decision marks a historical moment in French politics, making Sarkozy the first former president of the Fifth Republic to face such a definitive legal sentence.
