French President Emmanuel Macron received former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace, lefigaro.fr reports. According to AFP, the meeting took place on Friday, October 17th, and lasted approximately an hour.
Official Paris has not yet officially commented on the meeting. The content of the conversation is also kept secret.
According to Figaro sources, Macron did not discuss the court decision during the conversation, but after the verdict of the first instance, the process related to the execution of Sarkozy's sentence - his transfer to an orderly colony - was questioned.
As the French president noted, current heads of state have immunity under the law, but this right does not apply to former presidents.
For information, on September 25, the court found Nicolas Sarkozy guilty of illegally financing the election campaign and sentenced him to five years in prison. On October 21, he was placed in the La Sante prison in Paris.
The 70-year-old former president will serve his sentence in a single cell in a special VIP section. This decision was made taking into account his age and status as a former head of state.
Sarkozy led France from 2007 to 2012. The investigation against him began in 2013, and during the trial, it was revealed that the politician's presidential campaign was illegally funded by the Libyan government.
Nicolas Sarkozy denied his guilt and called the verdict "insulting France." At the same time, his defenders expressed their intention to file an appeal.
According to experts, the meeting between Macron and Sarkozy could have a serious impact on the political processes in France - it is becoming a matter of not only legal, but also political stability.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
