Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy appeared for a hearing Monday to face several charges related to corruption while he was in office, marking the first time a former leader has faced criminal charges in the country. The hearing was brief, and the judge agreed to a continuance because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most prominent of the charges Sarkozy faces is an explosive accusation of an attempt to bribe a judge. Sarkozy is accused of attempting to entice a judge to hand over information about an investigation into the ex-president regarding the acceptance of illegal funds. In exchange, Sarkozy allegedly promised him a prestigious promotion.

The alleged crimes were discovered in the course of a very different investigation. Investigators began by looking into a claim that Sarkozy was receiving illegal campaign donations. After wiretapping his phones to collect more evidence about this allegation, investigators discovered the alleged crimes related to judicial bribery.

Sarkozy was arrested and in March 2018. He has fought for nearly three years now for the charges to be dropped. Because the wiretap came from communications between Sarkozy and his ex-lawyer, who also faces charges, Sarkozy attempted to argue the wiretap was illegal. This argument was rejected by the judge, and the evidence will still be admitted.

If convicted of the charged offenses, Sarkozy and his ex-lawyer each face up to a 10-year prison sentence.