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WORLD NEWS 9
Wednesday 23 March 2016
Sarkozy suffers setback in France’s highest court
PHILIPPE SOTTO presidential campaign. But decision. “The ruling is a de- In this Sept.27, 2015 file photo, former French President Nicolas
PARIS (AP) — France’s high- conversations heard via feat for the defense rights” Sarkozy reacts during the meeting of Conservative Republicans
est court ruled Tuesday the phone taps brought to and may “lead the Europe- in Nogent-sur-Marne, outside Paris.
that judicial phone taps light a completely new le- an court of human rights to
between Nicolas Sarkozy gal case. sentence France over it.” Associated Press
and his main lawyer are Sarkozy’s lawyers argued The lawyers for Sarkozy will
legal, paving the way for the wiretapping was car- still have an opportunity to him as a runner-up. Even if cases since 2010, Sarkozy
an eventual corruption trial ried out in breach of law- contest parts of the ongo- any trial is not held before has never been convicted
against the former French yer-client privilege. But the ing investigation, but only next presidential election in of wrongdoing or been
president that could ham- Cour de cassation rejected on different grounds than spring 2017, a suspicion of sent to trial. Last month, he
per his bid for re-election. their arguments and ruled the lawyer-client privilege. corruption and influence- was handed preliminary
Sarkozy is expected to seek that the investigating judg- They can also appeal an peddling could be a hurdle charges for suspected il-
the conservative nomina- es didn’t break any laws eventual order to send their in his presidential bid. legal overspending on
tion to run for president when they secretly ordered client to trial. While his name has been his failed 2012 re-election
again next year. to tap Sarkozy’s phone. mentioned in many legal campaign.q
The opposition leader is The ruling means the inves- In the wiretapping case,
under preliminary charges tigating judges can go on Sarkozy is suspected of try-
of corruption and influ- with their investigation in ing to bribe a top judge for
ence-peddling based on the new case and eventu- information about himself,
information gleaned from ally send Sarkozy to trial for covered by judicial secre-
judicial phone taps in 2013- corruption and influence- cy. In exchange, the former
2014. peddling. However, when president allegedly prom-
It is one of several legal they close their investiga- ised to use his influence to
cases in which his name tion, they can also decide get the magistrate a pres-
has appeared, but the to change the charges or tige position in Monaco.
most potentially damaging dismiss the case altogether. The opposition leader is
to his political future. “It’s not just disappoint- expected to face a tough
His phones were tapped as ment, it’s incomprehen- conservative primary later
part of an investigation into sion,” Patrice Spinosi, law- this year, with nine candi-
suspected illegal financ- yer for Sarkozy in the top dates in his party already
ing of his successful 2007 court case, said after the declared and polls showing
