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Law and JusticeFrance

French court confirms Sarkozy guilty verdict, cuts sentence

February 14, 2024

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was handed a one-year sentence by a Paris appeals court, half of which is suspended. He was found guilty over illegal campaign financing in his 2012 reelection bid.

https://p.dw.com/p/4cOMk
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives for the decision in his appeal trial in the "Bygmalion" case, which concerns the illegal financing of his lost presidential campaign in 2012, at the courthouse in Paris, France
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy remains an influential figure among French conservativesImage: Gonzalo Fuentes/REUTERS

A French appeals court on Wednesday reduced the jail term for former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who was convicted of illegal campaign funding while running for reelection in 2012.

In 2021, a lower court had sentenced Sarkozy to one year in prison in the case, but but the sentence was suspended while he appealed.

Now, the Paris appeals court said the ex-president should serve only six months in jail, with another six months suspended. The sentence can be served through alternative means, such as wearing an electronic bracelet, without going to jail.

Sarkozy's lawyer Vincent Desry immediately said the ex-president would challenge the appeal verdict at France's highest court. "Mr Nicolas Sarkozy is fully innocent. He has taken note of this decision and he has decided to appeal to the Court of Cassation," he said.

What was the case against Sarkozy?

Sarkozy won the 2007 election with 53.1% of the vote, but he lost the 2012 election to Socialist candidate Francois Hollande.

In France, candidates are only allowed to spend €22.5 million ($24.1 million) on a presidential campaign. Prosecutors said Sarkozy spent nearly €43 million in the 2012 campaign, the excess of which was then disguised through a series of fictitious invoices by his then-party UMP.

Nicolas Sarkozy leaves the court following the decision in his appeal trial in the "Bygmalion" case
Nocilas Sarkozy has always denied reports that his party worked with a public relations firm called Bygmalion to hide the true cost of his 2012 presidential campaignImage: Gonzalo Fuentes/REUTERS

But Sarkozy has always denied reports that his Les Republicains party, then known as the UMP, worked with a public relations firm called Bygmalion to hide the true cost of his campaign.

During a hearing, Sarkozy put the blame on some members of his campaign team: "I didn't choose any supplier," he told the court. "I didn't sign any quotation, any invoice."

Sarkozy's legal problems

Since his single term in office between 2007 and 2012, Sarkozy has faced a litany of legal problems. He has been accused of corruption, bribery, influence peddling, and campaign finance violations in a series of cases.

The ex-president is set to face trial in 2025 on charges of receiving money from the now-deceased Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi to finance his 2007 campaign.

But despite his legal troubles, Sarkozy enjoys considerable influence and popularity on the right of French politics. He has also maintained a relationship with President Emmanuel Macron. The two have dined together on several occasions to discuss politics, French media reported.

dh/wd (AFP, Reuters)