Sarkozy‘s Election Finance Conviction stands After Final Appeal
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s six-month prison sentence for illegal campaign financing has been upheld by France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation. The ruling,announced today,definitively rejects Sarkozy’s appeal against the conviction,marking the end of legal challenges in this specific case.
However, the 70-year-old Sarkozy will likely avoid immediate imprisonment. A criminal court judge will now determine an alternative punishment, potentially including house arrest wiht electronic monitoring – a sentence Sarkozy has previously served in a separate case involving attempting to influence a judge.
The conviction stems from findings that Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential campaign team exceeded legal spending limits. The Court of Appeal determined last year that the campaign spent nearly €43 million, almost double the permitted €22.5 million, thru the use of double accounting practices. While Sarkozy himself wasn’t directly charged with the double-counting, he was found guilty as a beneficiary of the illegal financing. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming the allegations are false and asserting “no criminal responsibility.”
This case is separate from another conviction Sarkozy received for participating in a criminal organization related to alleged funding from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison for that crime but was released pending appeal after three weeks. He also recently fatigued his legal options in a case concerning attempts to pressure a judge,for which he previously served a sentence under electronic surveillance.
