French court cuts Sarkozy prison time in campaign financing case

A French appeal court on Wednesday halved the prison time for former president Nicolas Sarkozy after his conviction for illegal campaign financing during his 2012 re-election bid.

In September 2021, the Paris Criminal Court sentenced Sarkozy to one year in prison after finding him guilty of illegally financing his campaign.

Now the Paris Court of Appeal has ruled he should only serve six months behind bars, with another six months suspended.

The courts have suggested his prison time could be served at home with an electronic bracelet.

String of charges

The 68-year-old has faced a litany of legal problems since his presidency. He's been charged separately with corruption, bribery, influence-peddling and breaking campaign financing laws.

However Sarkozy, who was president from 2007 to 2012, has remained an influential figure among conservatives.

He has long denied accusations that the Republicans Party, then known as the UMP, worked with a public relations firm named Bygmalion to hide the true cost of his campaign – marked by lavish events previously unseen in French politics.

France sets strict limits on campaign spending.

Prosecutors said that Bygmalion invoiced the UMP rather than the campaign. They said Sarkozy spent nearly 43 million euros on his 2012 campaign – almost double the permitted amount of 22.5 million euros.

Thirteen other individuals were also convicted, with sentences ranging up to three and a half years in prison, including some suspended.

During a hearing, Sarkozy put the blame on some members of his campaign team: "I didn't choose any supplier, I didn't sign any quotation, any invoice," he told the court.

(with Reuters)