France: Court of Cassation Upholds Sarkozy’s Prison Sentence

France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy for illegally financing his 2012 election campaign, marking a second final conviction on his criminal record.
The ruling confirms Sarkozy’s prison sentence of one year, half of it suspended, for exceeding the legal spending limit in his failed campaign. Under French law, the sentence can be served at home under electronic monitoring or other conditions set by the judge.
This decision follows Sarkozy’s imprisonment last month in a separate case related to alleged Libyan funding of his previous campaign. After spending 20 days in prison, the 70-year-old former president became the first French head of state since World War II to serve a prison sentence, before being released earlier this month pending appeal.
The Court of Cassation confirmed his final conviction for the 2012 campaign financing case, supporting last year’s Court of Appeal ruling of six months’ imprisonment under electronic monitoring.
Prosecutors said Sarkozy’s right-wing party collaborated with the public relations company “Bygmalion” to conceal the true cost of his 2012 campaign. They stated that he spent nearly €43 million (about $50 million), almost double the legal limit of €22.5 million.
Sarkozy denied all criminal responsibility, calling the allegations “lies.”
French President Emmanuel Macron received Sarkozy before his imprisonment, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a former close associate of Sarkozy, faced criticism for meeting the ex-president inside Paris’s La Santé prison.