Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy appeared in court today to appeal his conviction on charges that he illegally financed his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Sarkozy spent 20 days in jail last year after his conviction. The 71-year-old former president is appealing the decision of a Paris court that found him guilty of “conspiracy to commit a crime“. He was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in an alleged scheme to obtain funds from the government of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in exchange for political and diplomatic favors.
Sarkozy is the first former president in modern French history to be sentenced to prison. He has begun serving his sentence, but a Paris appeals court ordered his release under judicial supervision pending the conclusion of the new trial.
The appeal hearing, which is expected to last until June 3, will include a reexamination of all evidence and testimony related to Sarkozy and the nine other defendants, including three former ministers.
The former president denies any wrongdoing and insists the charges against him are politically motivated, the AP reported. He has faced a number of legal challenges since leaving office, but he remains an influential figure in conservative politics in France.
The Court of Cassation, France's highest court, last November upheld Sarkozy's conviction in a separate case over illegal campaign financing in 2012 and sentenced him to six months of house arrest. That sentence has yet to be enforced.