France's Supreme Court of Appeal on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former President Nicolas Sarkozy for illegal campaign financing, issuing a second final conviction as part of his growing list of charges, Le Monde reports, writes UNN.
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The Paris Court of Cassation ruled that the lower court was correct in convicting him of illegal financing during the 2012 election campaign.
He will now serve a six-month sentence, possibly with an electronic tag
Sarkozy, who served one term as President of France from 2007 to 2012, has faced a number of legal challenges since leaving office. The case heard on Wednesday focused on allegations that Sarkozy's right-wing party collaborated with the PR agency Bygmalion to conceal the true costs of his 2012 re-election campaign. Prosecutors alleged that Sarkozy spent nearly 43 million euros on his 2012 campaign, almost double the allowed amount of 22.5 million euros.
Unlike other defendants, he was not involved in the double-billing system used to cover expenses, but was prosecuted as a beneficiary of illegal campaign financing as a candidate. Sarkozy denied "any criminal responsibility" in the case, calling the accusations "lies." Last February, a lower appeals court upheld his conviction, but he appealed again to the Court of Cassation.
Wednesday's hearing was his last chance to avoid a second conviction after he was sent to prison last month in another case related to a previous election campaign. In that court, 70-year-old Sarkozy was found guilty of authorizing his aides to accept money from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 presidential election. 20 days behind bars made him the first post-war French leader to serve time. On November 10, he was released under judicial supervision pending an appeal in that case.
Last December, he exhausted his last legal remedy in a third case, convicted of attempting to benefit from a judge. He served his sentence with an electronic tag, which was removed in May after several months.
Despite his legal troubles, the former French leader reportedly remains an influential figure on the right. Before he went to prison, he was received by President Emmanuel Macron, and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, who was his protégé, drew criticism for meeting Sarkozy at La Santé prison in Paris. The court later banned Sarkozy from meeting with the minister and other officials as part of the restrictions related to his release from prison.