Convicted Ex-French President Sarkozy To Avoid Jail Time - Reports

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will not serve any jail time after he was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison on corruption charges, the judges reportedly said

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st March, 2021) Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will not serve any jail time after he was sentenced on Monday to three years in prison on corruption charges, the judges reportedly said.

The 66-year-old was slapped with a jail term for allegedly trying to influence-peddle a French judge into giving him information on a probe into illicit funding of his 2007 presidential campaign.

The judges suspended two years of Sarkozy's sentence. He will be allowed to serve the third one outside of prison while wearing an electronic bracelet, BFMTV reported.

Sarkozy has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer, Jacqueline Laffont, told the news channel they will appeal the verdict. His team has 10 days to file a challenge.

The same sentence was handed to two other suspects in the case Sarkozy's lawyer Thierry Herzog and judge Gilbert Azibert. Herzog will challenge the ruling.

Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has repeatedly called the investigation into illegal financing of his campaign by rich L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt a witch hunt.