Top French court upholds former president Sarkozy's conviction for illegal campaign financing

The Cour de Cassation, France's highest court, upheld on Wednesday former president Nicolas Sarkozy's conviction for illegal campaign financing, in his latest legal headache after recently being jailed for nearly a month in another case.

Sarkozy, 70, had appealed against the 2024 conviction for illegal campaign financing over his failed 2012 re-election bid, in which he had been handed a one-year prison sentence.

Six months of that sentence were suspended and could be served through alternative means such as wearing an electronic bracelet without going to jail.

Sarkozy, a one-term president from 2007-2012, has faced a series of legal challenges since leaving office and was sent to jail last month in a separate case related to an earlier election campaign.

In that trial, the 70-year-old was found guilty of allowing aides to seek to collect money for his 2007 presidential run from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

His 20 days behind bars made him the first post-war French leader to serve jail time before he was released on November 10 under judicial supervision pending an appeal in that case also.

Read moreFrance’s ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy granted conditional release after 20 days in jail

In December last year, he exhausted his last legal recourse in a third case, after being convicted of trying to extract favours from a judge.

He served that sentence with an electronic ankle tag, which was removed in May after several months.

Campaign funding accusations

The case under review on Wednesday focused on charges that Sarkozy's right-wing party worked with a public relations firm, Bygmalion, to hide the true cost of his 2012 re-election bid.

Prosecutors said Sarkozy spent nearly €43 million (almost $50 million) on his 2012 campaign, nearly double the permitted amount of €22.5 million.

Unlike his co-defendants, he was not implicated in the double-billing system allegedly used to cover costs but was held accountable as the beneficiary of illegal campaign financing in his capacity as a candidate.

Sarkozy has denied "any criminal responsibility" in the case, denouncing the allegations as "lies".

Despite his legal problems, the ex-leader remains an influential figure on the right.

He was received by President Emmanuel Macron before entering prison and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin, a former protege, sparked criticism by meeting Sarkozy inside Paris's La Sante jail.

A court later barred Sarkozy from seeing the minister and other officials as part of restrictions tied to his release from prison.

A fortnight after his release, the ex-leader announced he would publish a book next month about his experience of serving three weeks in jail.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, Reuters)