Nicolas Sarkozy to wear electronic bracelet after French corruption conviction upheld

The Cour de Cassation, France’s highest court, upheld on Wednesday former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for corruption and influence peddling.

Sarkozy had appealed against the 2021 conviction for corruption and influence peddling, in which he had been handed a three-year prison sentence. Two of the years were suspended and Sarkozy would wear an electronic monitoring bracelet instead of going to prison for the last year.

Patrice Spinosi, lawyer for Sarkozy, said Sarkozy would appeal to the European Court for Human Rights to challenge the ruling.

“The challenge that I will be bringing to the European Court of Human Rights may, alas, lead to a condemnation against France,” Sarkozy wrote on social media network X.

“I want to once again state that I am clearly innocent,” he added.

Spinosi added Sarkozy would comply with the ruling which forces him to wear an electronic bracelet, a first for a former head of state, but would continue to use all legal means available to him to prove his innocence.