By Tassilo Hummel
PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) – French former president Nicolas Sarkozy lost his appeal against a 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling at the Paris Court of Appeals on Wednesday.
The court upheld a three-year prison sentence. It said two of those years were suspended and that Sarkozy would wear an electronic bracelet instead of going to jail for the remaining year.
Sarkozy arrived in court wearing a dark grey suit and appearing nervous. He fistbumped his lawyers and smiled occasionally as he took his seat before proceedings started.
A lower court in 2021 had found Sarkozy guilty of trying to bribe a judge after leaving office, and of peddling influence in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into his 2007 campaign finances.
It marked a stunning fall from grace for a former president who once bestrode the world, and is one of several legal battles Sarkozy has been fighting over the past decade.
Sarkozy, 68, who served one term as French president from 2007 to 2012, has constantly denied any wrongdoing.
16th June 2026
Caritas Italia assisted 282,539 people in 2025, equivalent to the same number of family units as its support is directed at the needs of entire households, according to its annual report...
16th June 2026
The European Parliament on Tuesday approved new rules aimed at strengthening the contractual position of farmers and helping to stabilise their incomes.
MEPs adopted the legislation b...
16th June 2026
Updated 1220
PN Casual Elections Bring New Faces and Parliamentary Returns: The Nationalist Party’s casual elections filled seven parliamentary seats vacated by candidates elected on ...
15th June 2026
Updated - 1200
Fiscal Council Warns Malta’s €900 Million Investment Target Faces Significant Risks: The Malta Fiscal Advisory Council has warned that the government’s planned €900 mil...
10th June 2026
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
8th June 2026
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
16th June 2026
GO ENERGI is offering households the opportunity to take advantage of the Government’s current grants to support PV systems and battery storage through a range of solar energy solutions ...
12th June 2026
Malta Public Transport announces a number of network adjustments in connection with the introduction of its Summer Schedule, aimed at meeting seasonal passenger demand and improving serv...
8th June 2026
The European Parliament has approved a major new initiative aimed at reducing workplace accidents and strengthening worker protection across the European Union, as concerns continue to g...
8th June 2026
The European Union has approved new rules aimed at tightening the screening of foreign investments in strategic sectors, marking a major shift in Europe’s approach towards economic secur...
16th June 2026
GO ENERGI is offering households the opportunity to take advantage of the Government’s current grants to support PV systems and battery storage through a range of solar energy solutions ...
12th June 2026
Malta Public Transport announces a number of network adjustments in connection with the introduction of its Summer Schedule, aimed at meeting seasonal passenger demand and improving serv...
15th June 2026
U.S. and Iranian officials said they had reached an agreement to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a preliminary pact that sent oil prices falling but leaves the fate of Te...
10th June 2026
The United States launched military strikes against Iran on Tuesday after President Donald Trump said Tehran was responsible for the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait o...
25th February 2026
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
9th February 2026
María Corina Machado is a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition. She has reported that one of her closest associates, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was abducted. This occurred mere hours afte...
16th June 2026
Ukraine is accelerating reforms to align its banking and insurance sectors with EU standards by 2028 despite wartime challenges, to buttress investor confidence and deepen economic inte...
15th June 2026
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a symbol of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural history whose golden domes have towered over the capital for almost a millennium, was set ablaze on Monda...