Former French President Sarkozy under house arrest following conviction Fitted with electronic tag

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been fitted with an electronic tag after his appeal against a corruption and influence peddling conviction was rejected. The decision follows a court ruling in December 2024, confirming his 2021 conviction.

Under the terms of his sentence, Sarkozy must remain under house arrest at his Paris home from 8 pm to 8 am, Caliber.Az reports citing foreign media sources.

However, he has been granted special permission to leave his home until 9:30 pm three times a week to attend another trial. In that trial, he faces charges, which he denies, of accepting millions of euros in illegal campaign funds from the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Should Sarkozy fail to comply with the house arrest hours, an alarm will notify the authorities. This marks the first time a former French president has been fitted with an electronic tag, underscoring the gravity of his legal situation.

In 2021, Sarkozy was convicted for attempting to bribe a judge in 2014, after he had already left office. The court sentenced him to three years in prison, two of which were suspended, while the third could be served under electronic monitoring to avoid jail time. Sarkozy’s appeal against this verdict was rejected by the French highest court in December, prompting the enforcement of electronic monitoring.

While his legal woes continue, Sarkozy has said he will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, though this will not affect the current verdict. Additionally, any future international travel will require prior approval from the court for the next 12 months.

Sarkozy, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, is also under investigation for his role in a 10-year-long corruption inquiry. The case includes allegations that he illegally received funds from Gaddafi’s regime for his presidential campaigns.

While Sarkozy is the first post-war president in France to be sentenced to serve time, his predecessor, Jacques Chirac, was given a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for a fake jobs scam when he was mayor of Paris.

Sarkozy’s conviction further complicates his legacy, casting a shadow over his once-prominent political career.

By Tamilla Hasanova