02/15/2024 – 3:31
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced, in a second court, to a year in prison for excessive spending during the 2012 campaign – at which time the candidate for re-election was defeated at the polls. The Paris Court of Appeal announced the decision on Wednesday (14). According to the defense, the former president will appeal the ruling as a last resort to the highest national court.
Sarkozy was convicted for the first time in 2021, in the case in which he became known in France as “Pygmalion.” According to investigations, the Republican Party, the former president's party, worked with a public relations company called Pygmalion to hide the true cost of his campaign.
Thus, a campaign marked by lavish events and megalomania would have greatly exceeded France's legal spending limit. But Sarkozy denies these accusations. “I did not choose any supplier, nor did I sign any budget or any invoice,” the former president of the Paris Court of Appeal said on Wednesday.
Despite being sentenced to a year in prison, Sarkozy saw half of his sentence suspended in 2021. According to the court, the other six months can be spent in an alternative way, with the possibility of using an electronic ankle bracelet, without having to go to prison.
Sarkozy currently maintains a friendly relationship with Emmanuel Macron, the President of France and one of the leaders of the European Union. In the second round of the 2022 elections, he supported former President Macron against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.
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