FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiA close aide to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has publicly asked President Emmanuel Macron to grant him a presidential pardon.
Henri Guaino, who served as Sarkozy's special adviser, described the situation as extremely serious in an interview with broadcaster RTL. He characterized Sarkozy's conviction as a humiliation for the French state and its institutions.
"What happened yesterday was extremely serious. We witnessed the apotheosis of trial without evidence. I consider it a kind of judicial coup against the separation of powers," he said.
Guaino specifically called on President Macron to exercise his constitutional power to pardon the former leader. The former adviser argued that a pardon would not erase the sentence and could be partial in its implementation.
He suggested that a presidential pardon could potentially eliminate the decision to imprison the former French head of state.
Despite his legal troubles spanning several years, Sarkozy retains considerable influence within French right-wing politics.
The former president has occasionally held private meetings with Macron despite their political differences.
A court sentenced the 70-year-old former president to five years in prison on Thursday for a scheme involving the late Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, in financing his 2007 campaign.
Sarkozy becomes the first post-war French leader to be sentenced to actual imprisonment, after being convicted on charges of criminal conspiracy.
He should immediately begin serving his prison sentence while awaiting the outcome of the appeal process.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen strongly criticized Thursday's court ruling. She argued on social media platform X that the provisional application of the ruling pending an appeal poses a grave risk to legal principles.
Le Pen specifically emphasized that the presumption of innocence is undermined by this procedural approach.
Lini një Përgjigje