Sawt Falasteen - After two convictions, France's Sarkozy seeks to merge sentences

The one-term president from 2007 to 2012 has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office, receiving two definitive convictions in recent years.

"A request to merge sentences is an extremely routine procedure in this situation," his lawyer Vincent Desry told AFP.

In December 2024, he exhausted his last legal recourse in the so-called "Bismuth" case over trying to extract favours from a judge and served a sentence with an electronic ankle tag that was removed in May last year after several months -- allowed due to the then-70-year-old's age.

In November last year, he received his second final conviction in what is known as the "Bygmalion" case over illegal financing of his failed 2012 re-election bid, with France's highest court upholding a sentence of six months with an electronic tag.

During a closed hearing on Monday, the former head of state will ask that his six‑month custodial sentence in the Bygmalion case be considered served by virtue of the electronic tag he wore last year in connection with the Bismuth case.

The request is only possible if various criteria are met, including that the sentences in separate proceedings be of the same nature and have exhausted all appeals.

A decision on the request can be deliberated and appealed.

Nicolas Sarkozy will again be in court from March 16, for the appeal of another case against him related to alleged Libyan funding in his earlier election campaign.

He served 20 days in jail in that case late last year, making him the first post-war French leader to serve time behind bars, before his release pending appeal.

H.Darwish--SF-PST