PARIS — Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will find out Thursday whether he faces a second jail term when a court returns its verdict over massive overspending on his 2012 re-election campaign. Sarkozy’s predecessor and mentor Jacques Chirac received a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for corruption while he was mayor of Paris. Sarkozy promptly appealed his verdict, and under French sentencing guidelines he has not yet been put behind bars — judges said he could wear an electronic ankle bracelet. It is not clear whether Sarkozy, who claims he is being hounded by the judiciary, will return to court for the verdict. Despite his political setbacks and legal woes Sarkozy still enjoys considerable sway in French politics, with conservative candidates in next year’s presidential election vying for his endorsement.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 30, 2021 02:03 UTC