A Paris court will rule on merging Nicolas Sarkozy’s two sentences, potentially allowing the former president to avoid further jail time.

PARIS: A French court will rule on Monday whether former president Nicolas Sarkozy can avoid serving more jail time. His lawyer has requested to merge two definitive sentences from separate corruption convictions.

The 71-year-old served 20 days in jail last year over alleged Libyan campaign funding. He is the first modern French president to be incarcerated.

He also wore an electronic ankle tag for several months in 2025 for a separate influence-peddling conviction. His final appeal in that “Bismuth” case was exhausted in December 2024.

In November 2025, France’s highest court upheld a six-month sentence in the “Bygmalion” case. This related to illegal financing of his failed 2012 re-election bid.

During a closed hearing in late February, Sarkozy requested his six-month Bygmalion sentence be considered served. He argued it should merge with the electronic monitoring from the Bismuth case.

His lawyer, Vincent Desry, had earlier told AFP that such a request is “extremely routine”. Desry declined to comment after the hearing.

A merger is only possible if sentences are of the same nature and all appeals are exhausted. The court’s decision is expected on Monday.

Sarkozy will return to court from March 16 for an appeal in the Libyan funding case. He was initially sentenced to five years for criminal conspiracy in that matter.

The former president, who led France from 2007 to 2012, denies all charges against him. He remains an influential figure on the political right.

He is the first French leader jailed since WWII collaborator Philippe Petain. His legal troubles have persisted since leaving the Elysee Palace.

 The Sun Malaysia