A Familiar Face to Koreans... What Happened to Sarkozy Under House Arrest with an Electronic Bracelet?

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was finally convicted on charges including bribing a judge, has been released from house arrest due to his advanced age. On May 15 (local time), Yonhap News Agency, citing AFP, reported that Sarkozy, who is 70 years old this year, was granted early parole the previous day after serving more than three months in prison. Sarkozy, who served as president from 2007 to 2012, was finally convicted in December last year for promising a key position to a sitting judge in exchange for confidential information about an investigation into his illegal political funding.

At the time, the court sentenced Sarkozy to three years in prison, with two years suspended, and ordered that the remaining one year be served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet instead of imprisonment. He was also banned from holding public office for three years. After going through the necessary procedures, prosecutors fitted Sarkozy with an electronic bracelet only in February this year.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was finally convicted on charges including bribing a judge, has been released from house arrest due to his advanced age. On the 15th (local time), Yonhap News Agency, citing AFP, reported that Sarkozy, who is 70 years old this year, was granted early parole yesterday after serving more than three months in prison. AFP, Yonhap News Agency

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This is the first time a former French president has been ordered to wear an electronic bracelet, and also the first time a former president has received a punitive sentence such as house arrest rather than a suspended sentence. Sarkozy's predecessor, former President Jacques Chirac, was given a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 after being convicted of embezzling public funds while serving as mayor of Paris.

In addition to this trial, Sarkozy is facing several other criminal cases. He has been convicted in both the first and second trials for exceeding the legal campaign spending limit and submitting false receipts during his 2012 re-election campaign. He has also been indicted for allegedly receiving large sums of illicit money from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi ahead of the 2007 presidential election. The first trial verdict for this case will be held on September 25. The prosecution has requested the court to sentence him to seven years in prison and impose a fine of 300,000 euros (approximately 470 million won).

Former President Sarkozy is also on trial for allegedly receiving large sums of illicit money from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi ahead of the 2007 French presidential election. The first trial verdict for this case will be held on September 25. The prosecution has requested the court to sentence him to seven years in prison and impose a fine of 300,000 euros (approximately 470 million won). Reuters·Yonhap News

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Meanwhile, as a result of this conviction, Sarkozy was also expected to be stripped of his honors. Shortly after taking office in 2007, Sarkozy received the Grand Cross, the highest grade of the Legion d'Honneur. According to the Legion d'Honneur regulations, recipients are stripped of their honors if they are sentenced to imprisonment or a more severe penalty in a criminal trial. In March, the Grand Chancellor of the Legion d'Honneur announced, "We have initiated the process to strip him of the honor."

However, President Macron effectively refused to strip Sarkozy of his honor. Responding to a related question on April 24, President Macron said, "Former presidents should be respected," and added, "Stripping former President Sarkozy of his honor would not be a good decision." He further emphasized, "Serving as President of France is a meaningful achievement," and clarified, "This is not about the court's decision, but about respect."

In response, six descendants of former recipients of the Legion d'Honneur filed a lawsuit demanding that Sarkozy be stripped of his honor. They directly challenged Macron's remarks, stating, "On the contrary, stripping him of the honor is necessary to preserve the dignity of the presidency." The plaintiffs argued, "Stripping former President Sarkozy of the Legion d'Honneur is not an insult to the presidency," and criticized, "Not stripping him of the honor is an insult to all recipients."

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