Ex- French prez Sarkozy convicted of corruption, handed jail sentence

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty by a Paris court of corruption after he offered to pull strings to help a magistrate land a prestigious job in return for a favor. “Sarkozy used his status as former French president,” said Presiding Judge Christine Mée on Monday as she read out the court’s decision. She said the wrongdoing he committed was “particularly serious.” Under the French system he’s unlikely to serve it, even if he fails to overturn the verdict on appeal.

The conviction of Sarkozy -- who still enjoys some popularity in the nation -- is another setback to a political career that stuttered after his failed 2012 re-election bid. The judgment puts the former president on the back-foot weeks before he’s due back in court on separate charges that he illegally exceeded campaign-spending limits ahead of his electoral defeat. Aside from the one-year jail term, the judges also gave Sarkozy a two-year suspended sentence. Monday’s judgment centers on tapped phone calls of Sarkozy dating back to 2014, after he’d left high office. In court, Sarkozy had dismissed the conversations at “chatter” that was misinterpreted by prosecutors.