The French Supreme Court on Wednesday (November 26) upheld the guilty verdict against former president Nicolas Sarkozy in his election funding case, which involved illegal fundraising during his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2012.
Sarkozy served as president from 2007 to 2012, but faced legal troubles related to illegal collection and use of campaign funds during his 2012 re-election bid. He was convicted in separate trials in 2021 and 2024 for these offenses.
The 2024 case involved illegal use of campaign funds, with Sarkozy accused of spending around €43 million (approximately $49.8 million) from his political party “Les Republicains” – then known as “UMP” – for his 2012 re-election campaign, which was roughly double the €22.5 million (around $26 million) limit set by election laws. He was also accused of hiring a public relations firm friendly to him to conceal expenses.
The verdict on Wednesday marked another legal setback for Sarkozy in his campaign funding issues. Following his appeal against the 2024 verdict, the French Supreme Court upheld his guilty verdict on Wednesday, stating that the charge of illegal fundraising had been proven. In this case, Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison, with six months suspended, and another six months to be served outside prison with an electronic monitoring device.
Sarkozy’s lawyers stated in a press release that the former president is considering filing a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights regarding this case.
Shortly before the French Supreme Court’s ruling on Wednesday, the 70-year-old Sarkozy had just been released from prison after more than twenty days of incarceration. In September of this year, he was convicted on a third election-related charge, which implicated his close aide in illegally fundraising from Libya during the 2007 campaign. This case involved foreign political donations and was deemed more serious. During the trial, Sarkozy had been under preventive detention since October 21, but the appeals court approved his release request on November 10.
Sarkozy has denied all charges against him in these cases. He claims that he was not involved in the specific organization of campaign activities and was unaware of the exact use of campaign funds.
The court is scheduled to hear Sarkozy’s appeal on the Libya funding case from mid-March to early June next year.