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Sarkozy finally convicted over 2012 campaign financing
French justice has confirmed the conviction of former president Nicolas Sarkozy for illegal financing of his 2012 presidential campaign, marking the second definitive conviction on his criminal record. This decision comes as Sarkozy prepares for the appeal trial in the Libyan financing case, scheduled for spring 2026.
The Court of Cassation, France’s highest judicial body, rejected Sarkozy’s appeal, making the conviction final for him, his campaign director, and two former party executives linked to the UMP, which supported his candidacy. The court clarified that its role is to assess procedural compliance rather than the merits of the case.
Sarkozy had previously been sentenced by the Paris Court of Appeal on February 14, 2024, to one year in prison, including six months firm, for the Bygmalion affair—a scheme that concealed campaign spending that exceeded legal limits (€43 million versus the €22.5 million ceiling) through double invoicing and fictitious contracts charged to the party.
Unlike his co-defendants, Sarkozy was not implicated in producing false invoices, but as a candidate, he was considered the beneficiary of illegal campaign financing. Throughout the proceedings, he consistently denied criminal responsibility, describing the allegations as “fables” and “lies.”
This conviction follows a separate firm sentence in December 2024 for corruption and influence-peddling in the Bismuth case, for which he served part of his sentence under electronic monitoring before receiving conditional release due to his age (70 years).
Sarkozy’s legal challenges are compounded as he prepares for the Libyan funding appeal trial, linked to the 2007 presidential campaign. Previously, a Paris court sentenced him to five years in prison for allowing his team to solicit secret financing from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Sarkozy, who maintains his innocence, spent three weeks in prison—a first for a former French president—before being released under judicial supervision. He plans to recount his experience in a forthcoming book, “Le Journal d’un prisonnier,” set to be published exactly one month after his release.
