Nicolas Sarkozy illegal campaign financing conviction upheld

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's conviction for using illegal campaign financing has been upheld by the country's highest court. The ruling confirms that the former leader overspent on his 2012 re-election campaign, with nearly €22.5m (£19.4m) exceeding the legally allowed cap.

Prosecutors had argued that Sarkozy's UMP party broke the law by spending lavishly on rallies and events, before then misdirecting funds to invoice a PR firm called Bygmalion instead of the actual campaign fund. This tactic was seen as an attempt to cover up the true costs of his re-election campaign.

The conviction is not entirely new for Sarkozy, who has faced several court cases over allegations of corruption and misuse of power during his time in office from 2007 to 2012. In a separate case last year, he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and served five years in jail before being released early. However, he will still face a six-month suspended sentence that requires him to wear an electronic tag.

Despite the latest conviction, Sarkozy's team remains unconvinced by the allegations against him, stating that he has always denied all charges. In fact, after his release from prison, they announced plans for him to write a book about his three-week jail stint titled "A prisoner's diary". The book will likely fuel further speculation and debate in France over Sarkozy's role in politics.

The case highlights ongoing concerns over corruption and the influence of money in French politics. Critics argue that the ruling sends a worrying message, with some calling for greater transparency and accountability within the country's electoral system.

I'm not surprised by this verdict, but it's still pretty disappointing. Sarkozy's history is pretty checkered, and this just adds to his already dubious reputation. I mean, €22.5m? That's a lot of money, especially for a campaign that supposedly didn't want to break the law . It feels like he knew exactly what he was doing, but the Bygmalion PR firm thing is just shady. And five years in jail for something else last year? That's already pretty extreme, so six months suspended? Still feels like he got off pretty lightly .

I do hope this sparks some real change, though. Transparency and accountability are essential in politics, especially when it comes to big money being thrown around . It's not just about Sarkozy, either - there are plenty of other politicians who've been accused of similar things. We need to make sure that no one is above the law, no matter how powerful they are .

But until we see some real reforms, I'm gonna be skeptical . This verdict might give Sarkozy a free pass, but it's not like he didn't know what was coming .

so this is just another example of how corrupt politicians can get away with stuff i mean, Sarkozy already served time for his previous antics, but it seems like he's still dodging justice . the fact that he's planning to write a book about his prison experience is just crazy, it's like he's trying to spin this whole thing as some kind of victim narrative . anyway, this ruling is a big deal because it shows how easy it is for politicians to abuse their power and break the law . france needs to get its act together when it comes to corruption and make sure that people like Sarkozy face real consequences .

Wow this is crazy! like who spends €22.5m on campaign and then tries to cover it up by invoicing PR firm? that's so shady interesting how his team still denies all charges despite multiple court cases against him... sounds like they're trying to spin the situation 24/7

Sarkozy's conviction is like, super concerning . I mean, €22.5m is a huge amount of money, and it's crazy he got away with spending that much on his campaign without getting caught sooner. The fact that he used it to invoice a PR firm instead of the actual campaign fund just reeks of corruption .

It's also wild that he has this history of court cases and allegations of corruption, but still manages to spin things in his favor . And now he's planning on writing a book about his time in jail? Like, what's next? It just goes to show how desperate some people are to salvage their reputation.

This case is like a reflection of the bigger issue of corruption and money influencing politics in France . We need more transparency and accountability in our systems, especially when it comes to campaigns and elections. Otherwise, we'll just keep seeing cases like this pop up .

omg u guys i cant even... so like frances president sarkozy got convicted AGAIN for using illegal campaign financing lol it just keeps happening with him he spent way more money on his campaign than he was supposed to and then tried to hide it by paying a PR firm instead of the actual fund can u even imagine having that much power and trying to cover up your own corruption idk how he even got elected in the first place

anyway i think its pretty clear that Sarkozy has some serious issues with accountability and transparency in politics like wut is going on in france tho? cant they just do better than this? we should all be worried about the influence of money in our own elections btw electronic tags are soooo not cool

OMG this is so dramatic!! I'm not surprised tho, Sarkozy has been involved in some shady stuff since he was president... He just got caught red-handed trying to cover up his overspending . The fact that he's still denying all charges is just wow . And can you even imagine the scandal when he writes this "prisoner's diary" book? I feel like we're living in a real-life soap opera!

I mean, come on... 22.5 million euros is a lot of cash! Can't even be bothered to spend it all on campaign stuff? Just sends it to some PR firm and then invoices the actual campaign fund... that's like playing Monopoly with real money! What's wrong with being transparent about your spending? It seems like just another example of how politicians think they're above the law.

I'm not surprised to see this news come out, it's like something straight outta The Wolf of Wall Street . Sarkozy's whole thing just reeks of corruption, and now he's being held accountable . It's crazy how some people can get away with using dirty tricks to manipulate the system for so long. I mean, who tries to funnel money through a PR firm just to cover their tracks?

But seriously, this is a big deal. The fact that Sarkozy will still face a suspended sentence but gets off with community service kinda feels like a slap on the wrist . It's all about optics and image control at this point. And let's be real, this whole thing just fuels the fire of conspiracy theories surrounding French politics .

France needs to clean up its act, for real . Transparency and accountability are key, and it sounds like the courts are trying to bring that about . Sarkozy's team can keep denying all charges all they want, but at the end of the day, this ruling sends a message: no more games, no more corruption .

This is just ridiculous I mean, what's next? Are they gonna say he stole all those euros or something? It's not like it's the end of the world, you know? He got a slap on the wrist, which is fair enough. Five years in for conspiracy, and now six months suspended? That's like saying "hey, we're keeping an eye on ya" . And bygmalion? Really? It sounds like some fancy PR firm that just happens to have a fancy name . I mean, I get it, the guy's got cash and likes to splurge, but come on! The whole thing reeks of politics as usual . Anyway, Sarkozy'll write his book and we'll all be like "oh yeah, no big deal" . France needs to focus on more important things... like their football team .

This whole thing is just so weird to me... I mean, Sarkozy's already been through all this stuff before and he still managed to get re-elected in 2012. It's like France just didn't care about all these corruption allegations or something The fact that he's being convicted again just shows how deep-seated the problem is, you know? It's not just about one guy, it's about the whole system. And now with him writing a book about his time in prison... I don't get it Like, isn't that just going to fuel more speculation and debate?

so this is crazy, another high-profile politician getting caught up in a scandal... I mean, €22.5m is like, whoa! It's no wonder they're questioning the whole campaign financing thing in France . It's not just about Sarkozy's conviction, it's about the bigger picture - how much influence can money really have on politics? It's concerning that he's still denying all charges and plans to write a book about his time in jail ... maybe he'll finally tell us what really went down . Anyway, I think it's time for France to take a closer look at its electoral system and make sure everything is transparent and on the up-and-up

man, this is crazy . I mean, Sarkozy gets away with all this stuff and now he's gonna write a book about his time in prison? like, what's next? "A President's Diary" or something . seriously though, the fact that he was found guilty but still managed to get off scot-free is just wild. €22.5m? that's like, a small fortune! and for him to try and cover it up by sending funds to some PR firm instead of his campaign fund? come on .

and yeah, the corruption thing in France is no joke. I mean, they're supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world, but if you look into politics, there's always something shady going on . it's like, Sarkozy might as well have put a big ol' target on his back with all these cases against him .

anyway, I guess this is just another example of how politics works: talk is cheap and cash is king . Sarkozy may not be the only one guilty of corruption, but he's definitely one of the most high-profile examples in recent memory .

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i dont think its fair that sarkozy gets off so lightly considering all the other cases hes been in. 5 years in jail was pretty harsh if you ask me, but at least he did some time for his previous convictions. now hes getting a slap on the wrist with a suspended sentence? it just feels like justice is being watered down

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and whats up with sarkozys team thinking that writing a book about his prison experience will somehow wipe the slate clean? come on, if hes trying to regain public trust, maybe start by taking responsibility for his actions and making amends instead of cashing in on this for publicity

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i think what really bothers me is that this case highlights the same old issues that plague french politics. money and power corrupting people who are supposed to serve the public interest. its time for greater transparency and accountability, imo