MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd November, 2020) Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday arrived at the Criminal Court in Paris to stand trial for corruption and influence peddling allegations, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
The hearing began earlier in the day to try the head of state alongside his lawyer, Thierry Herzog, and high-ranking magistrate Gilbert Azibert. Sarkozy and Herzog are accused of attempting to bribe Azibert by helping him to obtain a prestigious post in Monaco in exchange for information about a probe into suspected illegal donations to Sarkozy's presidential campaign in 2007, including from French billionaire Liliane Bettencourt, heiress of the L'Oreal company.
According to media reports, Azibert will be absent from Monday's hearing for health reasons.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy has denied the accusations, which, if proven, carry sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to a million Euros (nearly $1,190 million).
