As the former President of France is sentenced to jail for corruption, here are some things you may not have known about him.
Since he left the highest office of the French Republic in 2012, Nicolas Sarkozy has been marred by allegations of corruption. Today, the former president is sentenced to jail in a monumental ruling in which the French court sentenced him to three years in prison for corruption and influence peddling, but suspended two years out of the entire sentence. The judge also ruled that could wear an electronic bracelet in his home instead of spending a year in jail.
FACEBOOK Nicolas SarkozyThe 66-year-old has been under investigation for receiving millions of Euros from Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who funded Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign. It’s been widely reported that suitcases of cash were handed over to Sarkozy and his then chief of staff in both 2006 and 200, according to France 24. Later this month, Sarkozy will face another trial for the “Bygmallion Affair,” in which his center-right party hired a PR firm to hide the expenses of his re-election campaign in 2012. His party allegedly spent 43 million euros, which is twice the authorized amount to finance his presidential run.
Today’s ruling is historic since Sarkozy is the first president in French modern history to be sentenced to jail. Even if you’ve already taken a few trips to Paris, here are ten things you might have not known about the former leader of France.
Sarkozy was born in Paris, France.
His father was a Hungarian aristocrat who founded a successful advertising agency. Growing up, Sarkozy rarely saw his father as he spent the first part of his childhood in his grandmother’s mansion in the 17th arrondissment. Later, the family moved to Neuilly-sur-Seine, situated on the outskirts of Paris where many influential and wealthy families reside.
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. UNSPLASH Hannah RedingSarkozy received his high school diploma...
…but not without challenges. When he was first admitted to the notable Lycée Chaptal located in the wealthy 8th arrondissement of Paris, Sarkozy failed to complete sixth grade. He was then transferred to a private Catholic school Cours Saint-Louis de Monceau, where he eventually graduated from. After high school, Sarkozy studied private law at Université Paris X Nanterre where the future leader of France was quiet but active in right-wing movements and organizations. Later, Sarkozy was admitted to Sciences Po – France’s most prestigious university for law and public policy. But, he failed to graduate since his English skills were’t up to par.
FACEBOOK Sciences PoMarie-Dominique Culioli
Sarkozy married his first wife and had two sons: Pierre and Jean. Culioli’s uncle was the mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, he became Sarkozy’s political mentor.
Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine
Sarkozy became the youngest mayor of any town in France with a 50,000+ population.
Minister for the Budget
As the Minister for the Budget and spokesman for the executive in the cabinet of Prime Minister Édouard Balladur, Sarkozy also became the protégé of Jacques Chirac – France’s former president (1995-2007.) But it was under his role as the Budget Minister that Sarkozy augmented France’s debt of €200 billion. In 1995, Sarkozy supported Balladur for France’s president, rather than Chicac who was later elected and took away Sarkozy’s political power.
FACEBOOK Nicolas SarkozyCécilia Ciganer-Albéniz
Albenniz was a model / PR executive / great-granddaughter of Isaac Albéniz, the famed composer. The couple have one son, Louis. Despite that she became Sarkozy’s aid, Cécilia later left him for French-Moroccan businessman Richard Attias. Meanwhile, Sarkozy allegedly had an affair with Anne Fulda, a journalist at Le Figaro. The couple finally divorced in 2007.
Minister of the Interior
As the Minister of the Interior, Sarkozy tried to smooth tensions between the Muslim community and France’s mass citizens by supporting private organizations, including: Conseil français du culte musulman (French Council of the Muslim Faith) and amending the 1905 law on the separation of Church and State so he could finance mosques and other Muslim institutions.
Minister of Finance
Under this role, Sarkozy didn’t have an extreme view regarding solidarity tax on the rich but rather, he lowered prices on household goods by 2% under an agreement with major French retailers. He also reduced government ownership in France Télécom by close to 9%.
Ministry of the Interior...again.
In his second term, Sarkozy grew controversial by accusing hoodlums for riots that caused deaths in the minority suburbs. He even made policy changes regarding tracking and selecting immigrants.
FACEBOOK Nicolas SarkozyLeader of Union for a Popular Movement
Aka: the French conservative party. As its leader, Sarkozy wanted less loopholes in the French tax system and reduction in France’s budget deficit. Many criticized his policies liberal or laissez-faire.
Carla Bruni
The Italian singer / songwriter / model met Sarkozy at a dinner party. They were married on February 2nd at the Élysée Palace (equivalent to the White House) in Paris. Their daughter Giulia was the first child to have been born by a sitting French president. Prior to Sarkozy, Bruni famously dated Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Donald Trump.
INSTAGRAM @carlabruniofficialPresidency
On May 6th, Sarkozy became the sixth President of the French Fifth Republic. Though marked by financial and economic crisis around the world, he had to implement a stimulus package as the head of the European Union at the time. In regards to global warming, he aimed to reduce French CO2 emissions by 50% by 2020. In 2012, he lost the presidential election to Socialist candidate François Hollande, though the margin was narrow.
FACEBOOK Nicolas Sarkozy