By Peter Allen In Paris for MailOnline
Published: 14:00 BST, 19 June 2019 | Updated: 14:00 BST, 19 June 2019
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Nicolas Sarkozy is to become the first former President in the history of modern France to be tried for corruption linked to his time in office.
The Court of Cassation in Paris on Wednesday rejected his appeal against court action for trying to bribe a judge.
Sarkozy, 64, is said to have tried to obtain classified legal information from Gilbert Azibert in 2014.
The judge had information about a criminal investigation into Sarkozy's alleged acceptance of backhanders from the late Liliane Bettencourt, who was then France's richest woman.
French former President Nicolas Sarkozy is pictured as he attends a football match at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris last month
Prosecuting sources in Paris told AFP, France's national news agency, that Sarkozy would go on trial 'in the coming months' for charges including 'corruption', which is punishable for up to 10 years in prison.
While former presidents such as Jacques Chirac have been convicted in criminal courts, indictments have been linked to wrongdoing carried out before they became president.
Sarkozy is said to have tried to get the information out of Judge Azibert by offering him a prestigious legal position in the Riviera
