Overview
- The Court of Cassation dismissed Nicolas Sarkozy’s last recourse, leaving a one-year sentence in force with six months not subject to suspension.
- Judges concluded he personally consented to spending that he knew would breach the legal limit, constituting illegal campaign financing.
- Investigators described a Bygmalion double-billing system that shifted rally costs to the UMP, with about €43 million spent against a €22.5 million cap.
- The decision also makes definitive the convictions of his campaign director and two party leaders involved in the scheme.
- This is Sarkozy’s second final criminal conviction after the wiretaps case, with an appellate trial over alleged Libyan funding due in the spring.