For the first time in the history of modern France, a former head of state has been brought to court on suspicion of corruption and trading in influence
The Court of Corrections in Paris resumed the trial of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday. The trial was announced by BFM.
The trial was adjourned on its first day, 23 November, as a former high-ranking official of the French Court of Cassation, Gilbert Azibert, had filed a motion in which he said that due to health problems, in particular cardiac disease, arriving in Paris from Bordeaux in the context of the coronavirus epidemic was extremely dangerous for him. The forensic medical expert examined Asiber and reported to the court that his health condition allowed the defendant to enter the courtroom. The defendant will now have to undergo a medical examination every day during the break in the courtroom.
As France-Presse stresses, this trial is unprecedented in the French political world. For the first time in the history of modern France, a former head of state is being tried on suspicion of corruption and trading in influence. Of all the presidents of the Fifth Republic, only Jacques Chirac, who was later found guilty in 2011 of creating fictitious jobs during his term as mayor of Paris, has previously been tried.