France bestowed mercy for the ex-president: court decided to leave Nicolas Sarkozy under the supervision of his wife

Gennady Charodeyev

The journalists following the trial christened him "Bigmalion". This was the name of the PR company that helped the presidential candidate and 13 other persons involved in this case to draw up false invoices to cover up the cost overruns on Sarkozy's numerous campaign rallies.

Nicolas Sarkozy, as it turned out, was dissatisfied with the verdict and protested it through his lawyers. Commenting on this decision, he wrote on his Facebook: “Once again we see that injustice is happening. Didn't the judges familiarize themselves with the previous decision of the Constitutional Council? You cannot be punished twice for the same offenses. This is why I have filed an appeal. I will go to the end and achieve justice".

The newspaper Le Figaro wonders what justice is at issue if the prosecutor's office demanded a more severe punishment for the former head of state: a year in prison, including six months of probation and a fine of 3750 euros.

The defendant himself did not participate in the process. He appeared before the judges only once in June, when his personal testimony was required. Swearing on the Bible, Sarkozy denied knowing he was spending too much on his campaign. He stated that he had no control over how the money was spent during preparations for the elections.

“Can you imagine going to a meeting to discuss the cost of buying flags?” He told the judges. "I had too many things to do to deal with such little things."

Nevertheless, investigators of the prosecutor's office proved that the excess of Sarkozy's campaign expenses by almost 20 million euros, that is, almost twice the authorized and officially declared amount. The largest portion of the money went through the accounts of the PR agency Bigmalion, which worked for Sarkozy in 2012, and another four million euros went through the center-right party Union for the Popular Movement.

The former leaders of the Sarkozy party and the campaign headquarters, as well as employees of the PR agency, were in the dock in the Bigmalion case. All of them received from two to three years in prison.

Earlier, in March, the ex-president was sentenced to three years in prison. For some reason, however, the court gave an adjournment of the execution of the sentence. And now investigators are digging up the old Sarkozy case - the alleged illegal funding of his 2007 election campaign. "Let this clown return the money to the Libyan people!" - Muammar Gaddafi shouted into the cameras, accusing Sarkozy of supporting local armed gangs.

At the same time, the France 3 TV channel published an audio recording of an interview with Colonel Gaddafi, where he personally confirmed the issuance of money to the French politician. “Sarkozy suffers from mental retardation. It was thanks to me that he became the President of France. We gave 50 million euros, which helped Nicolas win the elections, ”Gaddafi said. Sarkozy, naturally, denies everything.

In an interview with NI, an expert on France, writer, political scientist Kirill Privalov said:

"I know Nicolas Sarkozy and have met him many times at Parisian parties. From a young age he was at different stages of the political life of France. But he was always, as they say, a “weather vane” in politics - that is, he turned to where the wind was blowing. Therefore, the French consider him a "fickle person", even capable of betrayal. Sarkozy is a "politician of the moment", he does not look to the future, moreover, he does not have his own program. He has certain convictions, but they are built depending on the political situation. Even take his last trial, where Sarkozy and his associates were accused of illegally financing the election campaign in 2012. This just suggests that the former leader of France lacks principles. On the one hand, he is a loner, "a man in a case", by the way, he does not drink alcohol at all, is actively involved in sports, works out in the gym and therefore is physically well developed. On the other hand, he knows how to "put together" his team, but at the same time he is ready to leave it if he needs it. Sarkozy is a person with great energy. But at the same time, he fits perfectly into the cynical system of power that exists in France today. The investigation into the case of Nicolas Sarkazi continues. The court found a historic compromise - the former president of France will not be jailed, they will put on a bracelet, and he will live peacefully at home. Well, Sarkozy has a beautiful wife, former model Carla Bruni, and they have a wonderful apartment in the center of Paris. Moreover, the majority of European politics are now sitting at home due to the pandemic", - expert Privalov told NI.