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 โฃrejects Sarkozy’s appeal against โthe conviction,marking the end of legal โขchallenges in this specific case.
However, the 70-year-old Sarkozy will likely โฃavoid โฃimmediateโ imprisonment. Aโค criminal court judge will now determine an alternative punishment, potentially including house arrest wiht electronic monitoring – a sentence Sarkozy has previously servedโค in a separate caseโค involving attempting to influence a judge.
The conviction stems from findings that Sarkozy’s 2012 โpresidentialโค campaign team exceeded โlegal spending limits. The Courtโ of Appeal determined lastโ year that the campaignโค spent nearly โฌ43 million, almost double theโข permitted โฌ22.5 million, thru the use ofโฃ double accounting practices. While โSarkozy himself wasn’t directly charged with the double-counting, he was found guiltyโข as a โbeneficiary of โขthe illegal financing. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming the allegations are false and asserting “no criminal responsibility.”
This case is separate โfrom another conviction Sarkozy received for participating in a criminal organization related to alleged funding from โฃLibyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He was initially sentenced to five years in prison for that crime but was released pending appeal after threeโ weeks. He also recently fatigued his legalโ options in a case concerning attempts to pressure a judge,forโค which he previously servedโฃ a sentence under electronic surveillance.
