Phone tapes can be used in Nicolas Sarkozy corruption trial

France’s top appeals court dealt a blow to Nicolas Sarkozy’s hopes of a presidential comeback when it ruled that taped recordings of his conversations with his lawyer were admissible as evidence against him in a case involving alleged corruption.

The Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by the former head of state against the legality of intercepts of two mobile phones rented for him under an alias after he left office.

That opens the way for him to stand trial for allegedly trying to bribe a justice official to leak information to him in another probe. He has denied any wrongdoing.