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France Ex-President Sarkozy Asks Court to Merge Sentences
(MENAFN) Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has petitioned a Paris court to consolidate two of his outstanding prison sentences, a legal maneuver that could shield him from being fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet a second time, a French broadcaster reported Monday.
The Paris Criminal Court is currently reviewing a motion filed by Sarkozy's legal team to combine his penalty in the so-called Bygmalion campaign financing case with a sentence he has already served in the separate Bismuth wiretapping affair.
His defense argues that the six-month custodial component of the Bygmalion sentence should be deemed served, given that Sarkozy already wore an electronic monitoring bracelet last year as part of his punishment in the Bismuth conviction.
In February 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal handed Sarkozy a one-year prison term — six months of which were designated for alternative sentencing arrangements — over the illegal financing of his unsuccessful 2012 presidential campaign bid. France's Court of Cassation sealed the ruling in November after rejecting his appeal, rendering it final.
That decision became Sarkozy's second definitive conviction. The first stemmed from the Bismuth affair, in which he received a three-year sentence, including one year under electronic monitoring, for corruption and influence peddling — a verdict that became final in December 2024. Sarkozy wore the electronic bracelet between Feb. 7 and May 12, 2025, before being granted early release on the basis of his age.
French law permits the merging of sentences under defined circumstances, namely when the underlying offenses were committed prior to a final conviction and when the penalties are of an equivalent nature. The court's ruling is expected at a future date and remains open to appeal.
Sarkozy faces yet another legal reckoning on March 16, when his appeal trial in the Libyan campaign financing case is set to begin — a matter in which he was handed a five-year custodial sentence at first instance for criminal association.
The Paris Criminal Court is currently reviewing a motion filed by Sarkozy's legal team to combine his penalty in the so-called Bygmalion campaign financing case with a sentence he has already served in the separate Bismuth wiretapping affair.
His defense argues that the six-month custodial component of the Bygmalion sentence should be deemed served, given that Sarkozy already wore an electronic monitoring bracelet last year as part of his punishment in the Bismuth conviction.
In February 2024, the Paris Court of Appeal handed Sarkozy a one-year prison term — six months of which were designated for alternative sentencing arrangements — over the illegal financing of his unsuccessful 2012 presidential campaign bid. France's Court of Cassation sealed the ruling in November after rejecting his appeal, rendering it final.
That decision became Sarkozy's second definitive conviction. The first stemmed from the Bismuth affair, in which he received a three-year sentence, including one year under electronic monitoring, for corruption and influence peddling — a verdict that became final in December 2024. Sarkozy wore the electronic bracelet between Feb. 7 and May 12, 2025, before being granted early release on the basis of his age.
French law permits the merging of sentences under defined circumstances, namely when the underlying offenses were committed prior to a final conviction and when the penalties are of an equivalent nature. The court's ruling is expected at a future date and remains open to appeal.
Sarkozy faces yet another legal reckoning on March 16, when his appeal trial in the Libyan campaign financing case is set to begin — a matter in which he was handed a five-year custodial sentence at first instance for criminal association.
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