PARIS — Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative political allies and his singer-songwriter wife have rallied to the defense of the former French president after a court convicted him of corruption, but his leftist foes hailed the verdict, saying justice had been served.
A Paris court on Monday ruled that Sarkozy, 66, had tried to bribe a judge after leaving office and to peddle influence in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into his 2007 campaign finances.
In a stunning fall from grace for a man who as president from 2007 to 2012 bestrode the national and global stage, Sarkozy was handed a three-year jail sentence, suspended for two, though he is unlikely to…
Keep on reading: ‘The fight goes on’: Carla Bruni and French conservatives rally round Sarkozy