Former French President Sarkozy: Another prison sentence has been confirmed

One year in prison: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been legally sentenced to prison for the second time. In the case of excessive campaign costs, the highest appeals court, the Court of Cassation in Paris, rejected the 70-year-old’s appeal. Therefore the decision is legally binding.

Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison – half a year suspended, another half year can be commuted, for example by wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. The Court of Cassation does not handle the charges itself, but only examines whether there are procedural errors.

Background: In 2012, Sarkozy almost doubled the cap on campaign costs of 22.5 million euros. Events company Bygmalion, which gave its name to the affair, hid this by sending fictitious invoices to Sarkozy. Sarkozy is not said to be the inventor of the system, but he is said to have ignored important information.

Sarkozy has always rejected these accusations. His lawyer Vincent Desry said: “Nicolas Sarkozy is completely innocent of the charges against him in this case.” He did not spend any funds and did not know that the expense limit had been exceeded.

For the former president, the decision is another bitter defeat in his bitter battle with the judiciary in France that has been going on for years. In December 2024, Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison for attempting to bribe a judge, which had to be done while wearing an electronic ankle bracelet. Due to his age, he only needed to wear it for three months.

In September, the 70-year-old former president was sentenced to five years in prison with immediate execution for forming a criminal organization in Libyan campaign finance affairs. After three weeks in prison, he was released in early November. The appeals process in this matter is scheduled for spring 2026.