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Defiant Sarkozy tells corruption trial he is the victim of lies

The former president accused prosecutors of conducting a witch-hunt, using excessive means to snoop on his affairs and withholding evidence.

La rédaction de Mediapart

8 December 2020 à 00h04

This article is freely available.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy told a French court on Monday (Dec 7) that he had never engaged in corruption and that he was the victim of lies, reports The Straits Times.

Sarkozy is on trial for charges of trying to bribe a judge and influence-peddling, among several charges that threaten to cast an ignominious pall over his decades-long political career.

Taking to the witness stand for the first time, a defiant Sarkozy accused prosecutors of conducting a witch-hunt, using excessive means to snoop on his affairs and withholding evidence.

Dressed in a black suit and wearing a blue face mask, Sarkozy told the court: "Permit me to say solemnly ... that I have never committed the slightest act of corruption. Never. Never abused my influence, alleged or real."

Read more of this report from The Straits Times.

La rédaction de Mediapart

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