Sarkozy Hit With Final Blow: France’s Top Court Confirms His Criminal Conviction

Nicolas Sarkozy has mislaid his past chance to overturn his condemnation successful nan Bygmalion affair. France’s Court of Cassation delivered its ruling connected Wednesday, rejecting nan erstwhile president’s last entreaty and making his condemnation definitive.

It’s a awesome infinitesimal successful French governmental history: this now becomes Sarkozy’s 2nd imperishable criminal conviction, aft nan wiretapping case.

The ruling follows nan recommendations of nan Advocate General backmost successful October, and brings an extremity to years of ineligible battles surrounding nan financing of Sarkozy’s grounded 2012 statesmanlike campaign.

France’s highest Court says nan forbidden financing was clear

The Court of Cassation upheld nan Paris Court of Appeal’s judgement from February 2024, which sentenced Sarkozy to 1 twelvemonth successful prison, including six months to beryllium served, for exceeding ineligible run spending limits.

Judges were blunt: nan “illegal financing of an electoral run is established”.
According to nan ruling, Sarkozy personally allowed his squad to proceed ramping up run expenses, afloat alert that doing truthful would rustle past nan ineligible limit.

And blown past it was. Investigators recovered that nan 2012 run ended up costing astir €43 million, contempt nan rule capping spending astatine €22.5 million. To hide nan increasing bill, a double invoicing strategy was allegedly group up, moving nan costs of rallies onto nan UMP (now Les Républicains) done a bid of clone statement events.

Three different defendants – run head Guillaume Lambert, and erstwhile UMP figures Éric Cesari and Pierre Chassat — besides saw their appeals rejected and their convictions made final.

Sarkozy has ever rejected nan accusations, calling them “fables” and “lies”, and denies immoderate criminal responsibility.

A reliable roadworthy ahead: This condemnation whitethorn complicate his Libyan case

While Sarkozy was not accused of personally organising nan clone invoicing scheme, he was held responsible arsenic nan campaigner who benefited from nan forbidden funding.

And nan timing of this last ruling could hardly beryllium worse for him.

In March, Sarkozy is owed backmost successful tribunal – this clip for nan Libyan financing case, 1 of nan astir arguable and politically delicate affairs France has seen successful years. The entreaty proceedings is scheduled from 16 March to 3 June.

Back successful September, the Paris criminal tribunal handed him 5 years successful prison, including 1 firm, for allegedly allowing his squad to activity covert backing from Muammar Gaddafi’s authorities up of nan 2007 election. Sarkozy denies everything.

In that ruling, judges had treated nan Bygmalion condemnation cautiously because it wasn’t last astatine nan time. Now it is – and ineligible observers opportunity it could measurement heavy erstwhile courts measure nan gravity of repetition offending.

Sarkozy has already knowledgeable thing nary erstwhile French president had before: he spent 3 weeks down bars astatine La Santé situation earlier this autumn, earlier being released nether judicial supervision connected 10 November.

A Former president pinch 2 criminal convictions – and much tests coming

With this latest decision, Sarkozy becomes nan only president of nan Fifth Republic to transportation 2 definitive criminal convictions. It marks a melodramatic move for a man who erstwhile occupied France’s highest agency — and who still holds important power wrong blimpish circles.

And yet, his astir challenging ineligible conflict is still ahead. The Libyan entreaty proceedings is expected to tie aggravated scrutiny, reopening questions that person haunted French authorities for complete a decade.

Stay tuned pinch Euro Weekly News for much news from France