Updated

Nicolas Sarkozy's lawyers are asking France's highest court to throw out evidence obtained through wiretaps of phone conversations between the former French president and his main lawyer.

It is one of several legal cases in which Sarkozy's name has appeared, but the most potentially damaging to his political future. He's expected to seek the conservative nomination to run for president again next year.

Sarkozy is under preliminary charges for active corruption and influence-peddling based on information gleaned from the phone taps in 2013-2014. His lawyers have said they were carried out in breach of a lawyer-client privilege.

A lower court ruled the phone taps didn't break any laws, and Sarkozy appealed. The Cour de cassation is hearing the case Thursday and will rule at a later date.