This Wednesday, December 18, Nicolas Sarkozy became the first former head of state to be definitively sentenced to wearing an electronic bracelet, in the wiretapping affair. Many right-wing elected officials gave him their support.
Former President of the Republic Nicolas Sarkozy was definitively sentenced this Wednesday, December 18 to one year under an electronic bracelet, in the wiretapping affair. Nicolas Sarkozy is definitively recognized as having used his lawyer Thierry Herzog and a senior magistrate of the Court of Cassation Gilbert Azibert to illegally obtain information on ongoing judicial investigations.
However, the former head of state will not immediately be equipped with an electronic bracelet. The Court of Cassation must transmit its judgment to the court of appeal which will then transmit the elements to the sentence enforcement service. But ultimately, Nicolas Sarkozy will become the first former head of state to be equipped with an electronic bracelet, despite his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
A “deeply incomprehensible” decision
The decision of the Court of Cassation caused a reaction from the political class and particularly the right, which generally gave its support to Nicolas Sarkozy. For example, Laurent Wauquiez, president of the LR group in the National Assembly, described the decision as “deeply incomprehensible”.
“I know to what extent Nicolas Sarkozy is a fighter and will not give up. He has all my friendship,” wrote the deputy for Haute-Loire.
Renaud Muselier, president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, shared his “support in this difficult moment and in the ordeal.” “He can count on the recognition and friendship of those who do not forget his continued commitment to France, and to the Southern Region!”, he continued.
For the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, “Nicolas (Sarkozy) is a statesman who has always served France and the French with integrity and strength of conviction”, believing that “we miss his lofty view and his leadership and we would be very useful in the current period.”
Sarkozy, “a real delinquent” for Philippe Poutou
Several left-wing elected officials reacted to this decision without supporting the former tenant of the Élysée, quite the contrary. For example, the New Popular Front (NFP) deputy from Yvelines Benjamin Lucas judges “that it seems obvious that in view of this definitive conviction the former President should be excluded from official ceremonies and all public missions.”
For his part, Philippe Poutou, a three-time presidential candidate, described the former president as a “real delinquent”, judging that “this court decision is good news.”
Nicolas Sarkozy will return to the Paris criminal court from January 6 since he must appear there until April 10 in the case of Libyan financing of his 2007 presidential campaign.
