A FRENCH COURT has convicted former president Nicolas Sarkozy on charges of corruption and influence peddling, sentencing him to one year in prison and a two-year suspended sentence. 

Sarkozy was accused of offering to help a judge obtain a senior job in Monaco in exchange for inside information on an inquiry into his campaign finances.

Taking into account the two years suspended, the sentence of one year jail means it is unlikely Sarkozy will physically go to prison, a punishment that in France usually applies to jail terms of above two years.

The 66-year-old politician was president of France from 2007 to 2012.

The court said Sarkozy will be entitled to request to be detained at home with an electronic bracelet.

The court said the facts were “particularly serious” given that they were committed by a former president who used his status to help a magistrate who had served his personal interest.

In addition, as a former lawyer, he was “perfectly informed” about committing an illegal action, the court said.

Sarkozy’s two co-defendants were also found guilty and given the same sentence.

He will face another trial later this month along with 13 other people on charges of illegal financing of his 2012 presidential campaign.

- Additional reporting by Press Association.