Nicolas Sarkozy sentenced to one year in prison for financing an illegal election campaign | You can serve your sentence at home

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to one year in prison for financing an illegal election campaign. The judge of that country has been verified who exceeded the authorized spending limit in the 2012 presidential election and imposed a penalty, however, Can meet at home with an electronic bracelet. your defense will resume.

Sarkozy was not present to read a ruling on it It turns out that in his re-election bid he kept spending money despite his warning “in writing for the risk of exceeding” the statutory limit of expenditures permitted by the French system.

‘I kept organizing rallies’ Being “wasn’t his first campaign. He already had experience as a candidate,” he said. Chief Justice Caroline FeigeWhich put him in jail for a year, though she allows him to get it done at home with a digital exit control system.

Thierry Herzog, lawyer for the former head of state Between 2007 and 2012, when leaving court, he said that Your customer asked you over the phone to appeal the decision. “Something I will do right away,” he added of the appeal, which will attempt to paralyze the sentence.

This is the second penalty kick against Sarkozy

He became the 66-year-old former Conservative Party chief The first former president of the Fifth Republic (the regime began in 1958) is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for corruption And leverage, otherwise. He also resumed his defense.

Despite his judicial fronts, Sarkozy remains a benchmark on the French right, as evidenced by the messages of support received, especially from those who choose representation Republicans The next presidential election is in April. The husband of singer, model and actress Carla Bruni also maintains a friendly relationship with current French President Emmanuel Macron, which has fueled speculation about possible support for the liberal in the upcoming presidential election.

A new conviction was issued against him for the so-called “Bygmalion Affair”, which investigated irregularities in the accounts of the 2012 presidential campaign, in which the then-president lost against socialist François Hollande.

The court imposed the maximum penalty and doubled what the prosecution had claimed At the end of the trial in the middle of the year for the “American Shows” campaign, he let the expenses pass without him having to worry about it.

By reason, during that campaign €42.8 million spent (about $49.6 million at the current exchange rate) Approx. double the limit legal.

According to accounting experts, the excess expenses could have been hidden later Financial preparation Between the then ruling party Unión por un Movimiento Popular (UMP) and the company Bygmalion that organized the events. To escape the controls, Pygmalion organized a system of fraudulent billing, attributing expenditures to Sarkozy’s party pacts that were not implemented and belittling others.

More outstanding reasons

“It’s a story,” Sarkozy said. During the trial, the ex-president attended only once, although it lasted more than a month. He added, “I would like you to explain to me why I campaigned more in 2012 than in 2007. This is wrong!” His defense had asked for acquittal because he “didn’t sign any bill”. Sarkozy ignored the accusations. “I’m known to delegate a lot,” he claimed. “I can’t take care of everything,” he added.

The former president has other operations open. Justice accuses him Passive corruption and criminal associations, among other crimes, for allegedly financing his 2007 campaign that led him to the Elysee.

The National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) is also investigating him Exploitation of influence and money laundering Committing a crime or offense, in connection with your counseling activities in Russia.