https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A French court ruled on Monday that former president Nicolas Sarkozy must serve jail time for an illegal funding conviction, a source close to the case said, after his lawyer sought to merge sentences for two separate convictions. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260309/french-court-rejects-sarkozys-bid-to-merge-jail-terms Mon, 09 Mar 2026 17:18:58 +0100 french-court-rejects-sarkozys-bid-to-merge-jail-terms Greyness and solitude marked French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy's three weeks in prison, according to excerpts released on Saturday from an upcoming book. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251207/greyness-and-solitude-french-ex-president-describes-prison-stay Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:41:24 +0100 greyness-and-solitude-french-ex-president-describes-prison-stay France's highest court ruled against former president Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday over illegal financing of his 2012 re-election bid, adding a second definitive conviction to his rap sheet. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251126/frances-top-court-upholds-ex-president-sarkozys-second-conviction Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:39:03 +0100 frances-top-court-upholds-ex-president-sarkozys-second-conviction France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy will publish a book next month about his experience of serving three weeks in jail, he announced on Friday, less than a fortnight afer his release. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251121/frances-sarkozy-to-publish-diary-of-a-prisoner-over-3-week-jail-stint Fri, 21 Nov 2025 18:25:36 +0100 frances-sarkozy-to-publish-diary-of-a-prisoner-over-3-week-jail-stint Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday was freed from prison, a 20-day experience the former president called a "nightmare", as a judge ordered his release pending an appeal decision over Libyan funding. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251110/french-court-to-decide-if-ex-president-sarkozy-can-leave-jail Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:21:00 +0100 french-court-to-decide-if-ex-president-sarkozy-can-leave-jail Death threats against the judge who this week convicted France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy of conspiracy charges were condemned Saturday by the legal community and the outgoing justice minister. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250928/french-lawyers-denounce-threats-against-sarkozy-trial-judge Sun, 28 Sep 2025 11:56:35 +0200 french-lawyers-denounce-threats-against-sarkozy-trial-judge French justice officials are investigating if bribes might have helped the country win a huge submarines order from Brazil in 2008, a media report said on Saturday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20170521/french-officials-probing-brazil-submarine-deal-report Sun, 21 May 2017 11:50:11 +0200 french-officials-probing-brazil-submarine-deal-report Right-wing candidates for the French presidential election face off in the first round of a US-style primary on Sunday with former president Nicolas Sarkozy and ex-prime minister Alain Juppe fighting to avoid being knocked out by an outsider. https://www.thelocal.fr/20161118/sarkozy-and-juppe-in-danger-in-french-right-wing-race Fri, 18 Nov 2016 14:59:48 +0100 sarkozy-and-juppe-in-danger-in-french-right-wing-race Former French leader Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday announced he will seek his party's nomination to stand in next year's presidential election. https://www.thelocal.fr/20160822/sarkozy-announces-new-presidential-bid Mon, 22 Aug 2016 18:24:26 +0200 sarkozy-announces-new-presidential-bid French President François Hollande's under-fire chief of staff Jean-Pierre Jouyet won government backing on Wednesday, amid calls for him to step down over a scandal involving former leader Nicolas Sarkozy. https://www.thelocal.fr/20141112/hollandes-scandal-hit-right-hand-man-wins-backing Wed, 12 Nov 2014 17:39:00 +0100 hollandes-scandal-hit-right-hand-man-wins-backing It's a French political paradox: Gérald Darmanin may be the new spokesman for comeback king Nicolas Sarkozy, but he won't be backing his new boss for a rumoured presidential run in 2017. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140923/sarkozy-spokesman-supports-other-candidate-for-french-presidency Tue, 23 Sep 2014 19:07:00 +0200 sarkozy-spokesman-supports-other-candidate-for-french-presidency Nicolas Sarkozy painted a dire portrait of the crisis in France on Sunday as the ex-president capped a high-profile political comeback that has kicked off a battle for supremacy over the country's struggling opposition. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140922/sarkozy-comeback-i-dont-have-a-choice Mon, 22 Sep 2014 11:06:55 +0200 sarkozy-comeback-i-dont-have-a-choice A corruption scandal surrounding former French president Nicolas Sarkozy deepened further on Saturday with fresh leaks of telephone conversations purporting to show he offered to get a judge a plum job in return for favours. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140712/frances-sarkozy-hit-by-new-phone-tap-leaks Sat, 12 Jul 2014 18:50:00 +0200 frances-sarkozy-hit-by-new-phone-tap-leaks Nicolas Sarkozy came under fresh pressure over an election funding scandal as his ousted successor as leader of the opposition UMP party admitted that it had "paid some bills it shouldn't have." https://www.thelocal.fr/20140529/sarkozy-under-fire-over-funding-scandal Thu, 29 May 2014 12:53:00 +0200 sarkozy-under-fire-over-funding-scandal A news website was ordered on Friday to take down leaked recordings of ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy that were secretly made during meetings with his advisors in 2011. Sarkozy and his ex-model wife Carla Bruni also won thousands in damages. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140314/leaked-sarkozy-tapes-to-be-removed-from-website Fri, 14 Mar 2014 14:17:00 +0100 leaked-sarkozy-tapes-to-be-removed-from-website A man was weighing up whether to sue on Thursday after his name was "stolen" and used to register a secret mobile phone used by ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, who is at the centre of yet another major scandal. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140313/sarkozys-alias-may-sue-over-mobile-phone-scandal Thu, 13 Mar 2014 18:00:00 +0100 sarkozys-alias-may-sue-over-mobile-phone-scandal Ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy's was dealt a blow by France's top court on Tuesday, meaning his legal troubles stemming from a variety of scandals are set to continue and could harm his chances of a return to politics. https://www.thelocal.fr/20140311/key-ruling-may-open-sarko-to-new-charges Tue, 11 Mar 2014 16:19:00 +0100 key-ruling-may-open-sarko-to-new-charges She's been locked in a room with Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi, at whom she then proceeded to hurl abuse, and she has life-long regrets for deserting her former husband Nicolas Sarkozy in his hour of need. This week Cecilia Attias, our French Face of the Week, opened up about her "Desire for Truth". https://www.thelocal.fr/20131004/cecilia-attias-sarkozy-gaddafi-libya-fouquets-royal Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:07:00 +0200 cecilia-attias-sarkozy-gaddafi-libya-fouquets-royal Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-wife Cecilia Attias, who was a key advisor in his victorious 2007 campaign but divorced him soon after, will publish a highly-awaited autobiography next month, her editor said this week. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130924/sarkozy-faces-spotlight-as-ex-wife-to-release-book Tue, 24 Sep 2013 10:40:00 +0200 sarkozy-faces-spotlight-as-ex-wife-to-release-book Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, France’s former first lady, has hit back at allegations her personal website benefited from €410,000 of taxpayer’s money when her husband was president. Bruni has threatened to sue the creator of a petition that demands she repay the money. https://www.thelocal.fr/20130729/bruni-threatens-to-sue-over-false-petition Mon, 29 Jul 2013 11:53:00 +0200 bruni-threatens-to-sue-over-false-petition