PARIS — Prosecutors in the trial of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy call for a six-month jail term over campaign finance violations for his 2012 reelection bid.
At the end of proceedings in Paris, they issue withering criticism of the former head of state and demand a one-year jail term, with six months of it suspended, and a fine of 3,750 euros ($4,500).
“Nicolas Sarkozy clearly regrets nothing because he came to just one hearing,” prosecutor Vanessa Perree tells the court.
“This way of thinking of himself as being above the law, of not being a citizen among others, is the same as it was during the presidential campaign,” she adds.
“The cavalier attitude towards (other defendants) and the court is a reflection of the cavalier attitude during the campaign,” she says.
This is the second trial of the 66-year-old right-winger, who has faced a flurry of investigations into his affairs since he lost his presidential immunity after his single term in office from 2007-2012.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy (L) at a court hearing in Paris on June 15, 2021. (Christophe Archambault/ AFP)
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