The court in the landmark corruption trial of French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy will deliver its verdict on March 1, 2021.

The trial wrapped up on Thursday evening after the last of the defence was concluded.

Earlier this week, prosecutors called for Sarkozy to be sentenced to a prison term of four years of which he should serve two.

The 65-year-old rightwinger, the country’s first modern head of state to appear in the dock, is accused of trying to bribe a judge with a plum retirement job in exchange for inside information on an inquiry into his campaign finances.

Prosecutors asked for the same punishment for Sarkozy’s lawyer and co-defendant, Thierry Herzog, as well as for the judge, Gilbert Azibert.

Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, had told the court Monday that he “never committed the slightest act of corruption” and vowed to go “all the way” to clear his name.

The corruption and influence-peddling charges—among several legal cases against him—carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and a fine of one million euros ($1.2 million).

Defending himself in court for the first time on Monday, Sarkozy said he relished the prospect of getting a fair hearing after being “dragged through the mud for six years”.

“What did I do to deserve this?” asked Sarkozy, who wore a dark suit and a surgical mask, vowing to “go all the way for the truth”.

Source: AFP