On Wednesday, October 1, around 20 French lawyers filed a complaint against Nicolas Sarkozy, accusing him of "discrediting" the judicial profession after the former French president denounced his criminal conspiracy conviction. Last week, Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison over a scheme for late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to fund his 2007 presidential run. The 70-year-old will be the first French postwar leader to serve jail time.
Sarkozy, who is believed to still wield considerable influence and is seen as a mentor to many conservative politicians, said after his conviction that the "hatred" toward him "has no limits." Lawyers for Sarkozy did not immediately release a comment. In an interview with the Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche, Sarkozy said that "all the limits of the rule of law" had been violated. He said that he would not "bow to lies, conspiracy and insults."
According to a copy of the complaint filed by Jerome Giusti on behalf of 18 lawyers and seen by Agence France-Presse, Sarkozy's statements "constitute a deliberate act of discrediting the judicial institution." The former president's comments were likely aimed at weakening "confidence in the impartiality and independence of the judiciary," the complaint said.
The lawyers said his remarks constituted an offense punishable by six months' imprisonment and a fine of €7,500 if proven in court. Sarkozy "is aware of the impact of his words and the direct effect they have on public opinion," the lawyers said.
The presiding judge in Sarkozy's conspiracy trial has received death threats, with authorities launching two investigations. President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that "attacks and death threats" against magistrates were "unacceptable."