Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty by a Paris appeals court on Wednesday of illegal campaign financing in connection with his failed 2012 re-election bid.
Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison, half of which is suspended, which can be served by alternative means, such as wearing an electronic bracelet.
The former president was sentenced to one year in prison in 2021 when he was first found guilty, but that sentence was suspended pending appeal.
Sarkozy, who held the presidency from 2007 to 2012, remains an influential figure among conservatives and is on friendly terms with President Emmanuel Macron – despite a string of lawsuits and investigations into various legal issues surrounding his campaign finances.
He has always denied allegations that his Les Republicains party, then known as UMP, collaborated with the public relations firm Bygmalion to hide the true costs of his campaign, marked by lavish showy events previously unseen in French politics.
