Paris, March 1 : A French court has sentenced former French President Nicolas Sarkozy to three years in jail for corruption and influence peddling, but suspended two years of the sentence.
The 66-year-old was found guilty of trying to bribe a Magistrate by offering him a prestigious job in return for information about a separate criminal case against Sarkozy, the BBC reported.
He is the first former French president to receive a custodial sentence.
The Magistrate and Sarkozy’s former lawyer got similar sentences. All three defendants are expected to appeal.
In the ruling, the judge in Paris said Sarkozy could serve a year at home with an electronic tag, rather than go to prison.
The conservative politician “knew what (he) was doing was wrong”, the judge said, adding that his actions and those of his lawyer had given the public “a very bad image of justice”.
Related stories
Subscribe
- Never miss a story with notifications
- Gain full access to our premium content
- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once
Latest stories