Wearing a dark suit and tie with a white shirt, Sarkozy bowed his head but otherwise remained motionless as the verdict was read out.
He was accused of trying to glean confidential information from a judge by using a so-called “burner” mobile phone and false name of Paul Bismuth.
Sarkozy, who is set to appeal, had risked up to a decade in prison and a fine approaching the equivalent of £1million.
Also found guilty were his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, 65, and Gilbert Azibert, the 73-year-old retired judge who was said to have been bribed.
All received the same punishment with two years suspended. French prosecutors accused the three of working out a corruption pact to advance their careers. Sarkozy, who led France for a single five-year term up to 2012, told the court he “never committed the slightest act of corruption” and vowed to go “all the way” to clear his name.
Ex-French President Nicolas Sarkozy Convicted of Corruption
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Deutsche in Frankreich: Mutmaßliche Islamistin aus U-Haft entlassen
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Mwazulu Diyabanza. Image courtesy Mwazulu Diyabanza via Facebook.
The Congolese restitution activist Mwazulu Diyabanza has been sentenced to a fine and a deferred prison term in Paris for removing an object from a display case at the Louvre in what he called a political action to cast light on restitution issues.
Diyabanza tells Artnet News he must pay the Louvre €5,000 for having “tarnished its image because my action had an international and world-media echo.” He says he will appeal the verdict.
Diyabanza has undertaken similar actions at museums across Europe, targeting ethnographic collections taken from former colonies. His acts, he says, cannot be considered theft because the objects are already stolen property.
В Париже огласили приговор террористам, напавшим на редакцию Шарли Эбдо
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