Overview

• France’s Court of Cassation examined Nicolas Sarkozy’s last appeal on October 8 in the Bygmalion campaign‑finance case, a review confined to legal procedure and intent rather than facts.
• Sarkozy’s 2012 campaign was found to have spent about €42.7 million against a €22.5 million cap through false invoices and conventions attributed to Bygmalion and its subsidiary Event & Cie, with costs shifted to the UMP.
• He was convicted of illegal campaign financing, and the Paris court of appeal on February 14, 2024, set a one‑year sentence with six months suspended to be served under electronic monitoring.
• According to a source close to the case, the advocate general has recommended rejecting the appeal, a decision the court will render after deliberation, with the alternative being to quash and order a new trial.
• In a separate Libyan‑financing case, Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison with immediate enforcement and is scheduled to meet the financial prosecutor on October 13 to set his incarceration date.