France's highest court has dealt a significant blow to the country's former president Nicolas Sarkozy, convicting him of breaching campaign financing laws in his ill-fated 2012 re-election bid. The conviction, which has now been upheld by the Court de Cassation after years of appeals, marks a major defeat for the right-wing politician who was seeking to return to power.
The case, known as the "Bygmalion" affair, centered on Sarkozy's lavish campaign rallies, which were likened to American-style shows with thousands of fans waving flags. Prosecutors argued that Sarkozy deliberately flouted spending limits, allowing his campaign costs to balloon above the €22.5m cap and eventually reaching at least €42.8m – nearly double the allowed amount.
Sarkozy's lawyers had claimed he was unaware of the breach, but prosecutors countered that accountants had warned him of the impending overspending. The politician's decision to hold multiple rallies in a short period, despite warnings from his team, was seen as a desperate attempt to counter the rise of François Hollande, the Socialist candidate who ultimately won the election.
The conviction is not Sarkozy's first run-in with the law. He is currently serving a suspended sentence related to a separate case involving campaign funding from Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The former president has faced numerous legal challenges since leaving office and will now have to serve his prison term, despite having already spent 20 days in jail.
The decision marks a significant milestone in the long and contentious saga surrounding Sarkozy's 2012 re-election bid. While he denied all wrongdoing during the trial, the conviction highlights the scale of the breach and the extent to which he allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws.
The case, known as the "Bygmalion" affair, centered on Sarkozy's lavish campaign rallies, which were likened to American-style shows with thousands of fans waving flags. Prosecutors argued that Sarkozy deliberately flouted spending limits, allowing his campaign costs to balloon above the €22.5m cap and eventually reaching at least €42.8m – nearly double the allowed amount.
Sarkozy's lawyers had claimed he was unaware of the breach, but prosecutors countered that accountants had warned him of the impending overspending. The politician's decision to hold multiple rallies in a short period, despite warnings from his team, was seen as a desperate attempt to counter the rise of François Hollande, the Socialist candidate who ultimately won the election.
The conviction is not Sarkozy's first run-in with the law. He is currently serving a suspended sentence related to a separate case involving campaign funding from Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The former president has faced numerous legal challenges since leaving office and will now have to serve his prison term, despite having already spent 20 days in jail.
The decision marks a significant milestone in the long and contentious saga surrounding Sarkozy's 2012 re-election bid. While he denied all wrongdoing during the trial, the conviction highlights the scale of the breach and the extent to which he allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws.
anyway i guess this is why they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks 
at least he's serving time for it, that's gotta hurt 
He should've known better than to try to out-Bush Bush!
, who needs a president with that kind of scandal baggage? Sarkozy's 2012 re-election bid was already tanking, and now this conviction is like the final nail in the coffin 
. I mean, holding a bunch of flashy rallies to win over voters? Sounds like he was trying to be the French version of Trump 
. And let's be real, €42.8m is not cheap 
. Guess you could say his campaign costs went from ' fancy' to 'outrageously expensive'. Anyway, Sarkozy's done for – now he gets to enjoy some quality time behind bars 
I gotta say, this is super interesting! The whole "Bygmalion" affair has been a thing for ages, and it's crazy how Sarkozy thought he could just go ahead with all those extravagant rallies without anyone stopping him. Like, what was he thinking? 
It's not like he didn't know the rules, the accountants were pretty clear about it.
That's like throwing money out the window! And Sarkozy thought he was clever with the "Bygmalion" affair, trying to spin it as some kind of high-energy show, but really he just got caught red-handed 
.
! It's not even surprising that he tried to skirt the rules to win power – it's a classic case of greed and corruption.
. I mean, if ordinary people get in trouble for breaking the law, why shouldn't our leaders? It's like they think they're above the law or something 
. Anyway, at least justice has been served now, even if it took years to get here 
.
just another politician trying to spin their way out of trouble... 
... he got played by his team and now he's gonna pay for it 
... but still, 20 days in jail is harsh, you know? 
... anyway, gotta respect the law and all that 